United Community Bank Reduces Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

United Community Bank trimmed its position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 50.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,483 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,476 shares during the quarter. United Community Bank’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $517,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,601 shares of the company’s stock worth $978,000 after buying an additional 1,095 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the first quarter worth $320,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 149.5% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $507,000 after buying an additional 2,931 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 4.4% during the second quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 2,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $260,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AXA S.A. boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 95.7% during the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 79,111 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,209,000 after buying an additional 38,684 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Price Performance

AEP opened at $135.07 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $132.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $123.44. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $97.46 and a 12-month high of $137.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The firm has a market cap of $73.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.16, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.58.

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 firm had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.24 EPS. American Electric Power’s 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, sell-side analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total transaction of $542,320.48. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 42,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,582,097.04. This represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $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. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised American Electric Power from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday. Mizuho boosted their price objective on American Electric Power from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wolfe Research raised American Electric Power from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $138.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on American Electric Power from $137.00 to $136.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.18.

American Electric Power Profile

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.