Bank of Nova Scotia Decreases Stock Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Bank of Nova Scotia decreased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 40.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 83,314 shares of the company’s stock after selling 57,510 shares during the quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $10,921,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AEP. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,032,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 293,033 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,869,000 after acquiring an additional 8,302 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 17.7% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 63,526 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,325,000 after purchasing an additional 9,532 shares during the period. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. now owns 114,224 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,171,000 after purchasing an additional 7,833 shares during the period. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in shares of American Electric Power by 121.9% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 25,921 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,989,000 after buying an additional 14,241 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting American Electric Power

Here are the key news stories impacting American Electric Power this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised several forward EPS estimates for American Electric Power, including FY2026, FY2028, FY2029, and FY2030, signaling confidence in the company’s longer-term earnings growth.
• Positive Sentiment: Other coverage highlighted American Electric Power as one of the utilities names analysts are bullish on, and it was also featured as a defensive stock for stability, which can attract investors looking for lower-volatility holdings. Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: KeyCorp’s Q2 estimate for AEP came in at $1.50 per share, while consensus full-year earnings remain around $6.35 per share; investors may be waiting for the company’s actual results next week to see whether it can meet or beat expectations. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed 0 shares short, so there is no meaningful bearish positioning signal from this report.
• Negative Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets issued a pessimistic outlook on AEP’s stock price, which may be tempering enthusiasm despite the broader bullish analyst tone. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AEP shares. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $136.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. TD Cowen increased their target price on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH decreased their price objective on American Electric Power from $148.00 to $143.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen downgraded American Electric Power from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on American Electric Power from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.71.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AEP opened at $135.54 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $131.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $129.33. The company has a market capitalization of $73.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.90, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.52. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $105.70 and a 12 month high of $140.58.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.07. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.21% and a net margin of 16.29%.The business had revenue of $6.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.72 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.54 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.120-6.420 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.35 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is currently 55.80%.

American Electric Power Profile

American Electric Power (NASDAQ: AEP) is a major investor-owned electric utility headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The company is primarily engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, operating a diverse portfolio of power plants and an extensive high-voltage transmission network. AEP serves retail customers through its regulated utility subsidiaries and provides wholesale power and grid services across multiple regional markets in the United States.

Operations span the full utility value chain: AEP owns and operates generation assets that include fossil-fuel, natural gas, nuclear and hydropower facilities, and it has been adding renewable resources to its mix.