Brokerages Set American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Target Price at $141.38

American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $141.4762.

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Scotiabank lifted their price target on American Electric Power from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup lifted their target price on American Electric Power from $132.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $141.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on American Electric Power from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th.

American Electric Power Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ AEP opened at $135.63 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The stock has a market cap of $73.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.92, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.52. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $131.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $128.21. American Electric Power has a 12-month low of $103.64 and a 12-month high of $140.58.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.07. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.21% and a net margin of 16.29%.The business had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.54 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.120-6.420 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that American Electric Power will post 6.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th were issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.80%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Electric Power

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Activest Wealth Management raised its stake 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. Optima Capital LLC purchased a new position in American Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of American Electric Power by 7,300.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. Costello Asset Management INC raised its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 200.0% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.