Aberdeen Group plc Reduces Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Aberdeen Group plc trimmed its position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 202,856 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,895 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $23,391,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 105.6% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,379,342 shares of the company’s stock worth $595,243,000 after purchasing an additional 2,763,328 shares during the period. Soroban Capital Partners LP lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 176.3% in the second quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 4,004,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $415,526,000 after buying an additional 2,555,415 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 357.5% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,957,491 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,718,000 after buying an additional 1,529,662 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in American Electric Power by 118.2% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,585,605 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,692,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400,547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in American Electric Power by 26.8% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,084,813 shares of the company’s stock worth $684,772,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285,279 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Electric Power news, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total value of $542,320.48. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 42,263 shares in the company, valued at $5,582,097.04. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $177,602.46. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,025,798.60. The trade was a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of AEP stock opened at $132.68 on Monday. 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 Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $97.46 and a 12 month high of $135.00. The stock has a market cap of $72.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $128.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $120.89.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.24 earnings per share. American Electric Power’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. On average, research analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on AEP shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Friday, February 20th. TD Cowen raised 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 note on Friday, February 20th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $148.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on American Electric Power from $133.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $136.10.

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.