American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-two analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $135.0952.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AEP shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Electric Power from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, March 1st. Argus lifted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $133.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $121.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th.

American Electric Power Price Performance

AEP stock opened at $132.04 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.71, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.61. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $122.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $117.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. American Electric Power has a 12-month low of $97.46 and a 12-month high of $134.60.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share (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 period last year, the firm earned $1.24 earnings per share. American Electric Power’s quarterly revenue 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. As a group, equities analysts predict that American Electric Power will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is 56.72%.

Insider Transactions at American Electric Power

In other American Electric Power news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,025,798.60. This trade represents a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.07, for a total transaction of $575,350.00. Following the sale, the director owned 25,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,980,082.86. This trade represents a 16.18% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 10,457 shares of company stock valued at $1,295,273. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. PFG Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 0.3% during the third quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 24,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,793,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC increased its position in American Electric Power by 15.0% during the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 638 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in American Electric Power by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,177 shares of the company’s stock valued at $251,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in American Electric Power by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,641 shares of the company’s stock worth $766,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vectors Research Management LLC grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Vectors Research Management LLC now owns 23,439 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,703,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting American Electric Power

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

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore raised its price target on AEP to $153 and kept an “outperform” rating, implying roughly 16% upside from recent levels — a clear bullish analyst signal that can support buying interest. Evercore raises AEP price target to $153
• Positive Sentiment: Ladenburg Thalmann upgraded AEP from Neutral to Buy and set a $148 target (about a low-double-digit percent upside). Upgrades like this can attract institutional flows. Ladenburg Thalmann upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Argus Research reiterated a Buy stance and raised its price target (Argus boost to $140 reported), reinforcing analyst conviction in AEP’s earnings and regulated utility growth profile. Argus boosts AEP target Argus sticks to buy
• Positive Sentiment: Media pieces note AEP is outperforming the utility sector recently and analysts remain moderately optimistic — narrative that can support continued relative strength vs. peers. AEP outperforming utilities
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation comparison articles (FE vs AEP) are circulating; they provide context for value investors but are unlikely to move the stock materially on their own. FE or AEP: Which Is the Better Value Stock? Zacks FE vs AEP comparison
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports show anomalous zero/NaN values and a 0.0 days-to-cover ratio — this appears to be a data glitch rather than a genuine surge in short activity, so it’s not a meaningful driver for the stock. (Multiple brief notices reported the same zero/NaN figures.)

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.