American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $126.8684.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AEP. UBS Group cut their price target on American Electric Power from $114.00 to $107.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Barclays raised their price objective on American Electric Power from $111.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Siebert Williams Shank initiated coverage on American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $137.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $132.00 to $139.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $121.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Electric Power

In other American Electric Power news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,006 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total value of $112,672.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,676 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $635,712. The trade was a 15.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 owned 25,898 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,980,082.86. This represents a 16.18% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 16,006 shares of company stock worth $1,883,522 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Electric Power

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 105.6% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,379,342 shares of the company’s stock valued at $595,243,000 after acquiring an additional 2,763,328 shares in the last quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 176.3% in the 2nd quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 4,004,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $415,526,000 after purchasing an additional 2,555,415 shares in the last quarter. Ghisallo Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Electric Power during the 1st quarter worth approximately $153,524,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew 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 worth $286,692,000 after purchasing an additional 1,400,547 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in American Electric Power by 26.8% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,084,813 shares of the company’s stock valued at $684,772,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285,279 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Trading Up 0.3%

NASDAQ:AEP opened at $115.67 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $112.57. American Electric Power has a one year low of $89.91 and a one year high of $124.80. The firm has a market cap of $61.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.86, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.69.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.81 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.65 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 17.23% and a return on equity of 11.00%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. American Electric Power has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.850-5.95 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that American Electric Power will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. This is a positive change from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is 55.39%.

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.