American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP Shares Acquired by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 673,954 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,247 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $77,714,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Activest Wealth Management increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 72.2% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the third quarter worth $26,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 330.2% during the third quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 228 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Optima Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 7,300.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting American Electric Power this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AEP reported better‑than‑expected Q1 results and several analysts raised forecasts following the print, supporting upside to consensus estimates. These Analysts Increase Their Forecasts On American Electric Power After Better-Than-Expected Q1 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: GAAP net income rose ~9% in Q1 (reported $874M), reinforcing the operational beat and supporting rate‑base growth narratives. AEP Q1 2026 GAAP earnings rise 9% to $874m
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $148 and moved to an “overweight” rating, signaling buy-side support and implying double-digit upside from current levels. Wells Fargo PT raise
• Positive Sentiment: AEP said contracted capacity expectations could surge to ~63 GW with ~90% tied to data centers — a demand stream that boosts long‑term load growth and contracted revenues. AEP sees contracted capacity surge to 63GW, 90% tied to data centers
• Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a $78B capital plan and reiterated multi‑year EPS growth targets (7%–9% through 2030) and FY‑2026 EPS guidance, underpinning long‑term rate‑base driven growth. AEP outlines $78B capital plan
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $148 but kept a “neutral” rating — the PT lift is supportive, but the unchanged stance tempers immediate buy pressure. Citigroup PT raise to $148
• Neutral Sentiment: Mizuho and Barclays nudged targets higher (Mizuho to $141, Barclays to $136) but kept neutral/equal‑weight stances — modest confirmations rather than aggressive upgrades. Mizuho PT raise
• Negative Sentiment: CEO publicly criticized PJM’s slow interconnection process and said AEP is reviewing membership (possible exit from PJM/SPP), raising regulatory/market access risk and creating near‑term investor uncertainty. AEP CEO Vents Frustration With PJM, Says Membership is Under Review

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on AEP shares. Truist Financial initiated coverage on American Electric Power in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $148.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $138.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $137.00 to $136.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $132.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, April 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.24.

Insider Activity at American Electric Power

In other American Electric Power news, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 42,263 shares in the company, valued at $5,582,097.04. This represents a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total transaction of $177,602.46. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 15,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,025,798.60. This represents a 8.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of AEP stock opened at $131.76 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $71.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.35, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.56. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $132.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $124.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $97.46 and a 12 month high of $139.44.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.72 billion. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.21% and a net margin of 16.29%.American Electric Power’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.54 EPS. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.120-6.420 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is 56.72%.

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.