American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Stock Rating Upgraded by LADENBURG THALM/SH SH

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) was upgraded by LADENBURG THALM/SH SH from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has a $148.00 price objective on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 12.09% from the company’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the company from $115.00 to $132.00 in a report on Friday, February 27th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $137.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.10.

American Electric Power Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of American Electric Power stock opened at $132.04 on Wednesday. American Electric Power has a 52-week low of $97.46 and a 52-week high of $134.60. The company has a 50 day moving average of $122.16 and a 200 day moving average of $117.75. The company has a market capitalization of $71.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.07 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 16.37% and a return on equity of 10.46%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.24 EPS. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that American Electric Power will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $177,602.46. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,025,798.60. This represents a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Insiders sold a total of 10,457 shares of company stock worth $1,295,273 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of American Electric Power

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Activest Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 72.2% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in American Electric Power by 7,300.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. Optima Capital LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines 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.