American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Stock Rating Upgraded by UBS Group

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) was upgraded by UBS Group from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has a $132.00 target price on the stock, up from their prior target price of $115.00. UBS Group’s price objective indicates a potential downside of 1.36% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH decreased their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $124.50 to $117.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Williams Trading set a $137.00 price target on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Thursday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on American Electric Power from $121.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut American Electric Power from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $132.53.

American Electric Power Trading Up 1.3%

AEP stock opened at $133.82 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $120.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $117.23. American Electric Power has a fifty-two week low of $97.46 and a fifty-two week high of $134.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.97, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.33.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.04. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.46% and a net margin of 16.37%.The company had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.24 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. Analysts expect that American Electric Power will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at American Electric Power

In related news, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.07, for a total value of $575,350.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 25,898 shares in the company, valued at $2,980,082.86. This trade represents a 16.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total transaction of $177,602.46. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,410 shares in the company, valued at $2,025,798.60. The trade was a 8.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Electric Power

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 72.2% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of American Electric Power by 7,300.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Optima Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 330.2% in the 3rd quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 228 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

About American Electric Power

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.