American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Receives $136.10 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $136.0952.

Several equities analysts recently commented on AEP shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $133.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, March 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $148.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Williams Trading set a $137.00 target price on American Electric Power in a research report on Thursday, December 18th.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

AEP opened at $132.68 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $128.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $120.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.58. American Electric Power has a 12-month low of $97.46 and a 12-month high of $135.00.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.24 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that American Electric Power will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $177,602.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,410 shares in the company, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total value of $542,320.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 42,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,582,097.04. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Electric Power

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Activest Wealth Management raised its position in American Electric Power by 72.2% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in American Electric Power during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Optima Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Electric Power Company 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.