American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Given New $125.00 Price Target at BMO Capital Markets

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) had its price objective raised by equities researchers at BMO Capital Markets from $123.00 to $125.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a “market perform” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets’ target price indicates a potential upside of 5.11% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms also recently commented on AEP. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. TD Cowen upgraded shares of American Electric Power to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on American Electric Power in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Scotiabank lifted their price target on American Electric Power from $121.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised American Electric Power from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $128.00 to $137.00 in a research note on Monday, November 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.39.

American Electric Power Price Performance

NASDAQ AEP traded up $0.91 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $118.93. 129,499 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,134,247. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $117.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $114.69. American Electric Power has a 1 year low of $97.32 and a 1 year high of $124.80. The company has a market cap of $63.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.63.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.07, for a total transaction of $575,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,898 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,980,082.86. This trade represents a 16.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Electric Power

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 105.6% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,379,342 shares of the company’s stock worth $595,243,000 after buying an additional 2,763,328 shares during the last quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 176.3% during the 2nd quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 4,004,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $415,526,000 after acquiring an additional 2,555,415 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of American Electric Power by 357.5% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,957,491 shares of the company’s stock valued at $225,718,000 after acquiring an additional 1,529,662 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of 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 during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 26.8% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently 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.