Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Grows Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 18.3% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 118,758 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,402 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $13,360,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Savvy Advisors Inc. raised its position in American Electric Power by 34.0% in the 3rd quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 8,223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $925,000 after purchasing an additional 2,085 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the third quarter valued at about $813,000. Krilogy Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the third quarter worth about $543,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 2.5% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 22,367 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,516,000 after buying an additional 547 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its position in American Electric Power by 18.7% in the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 26,059 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,932,000 after acquiring an additional 4,098 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at American Electric Power

In other American Electric Power news, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director directly owned 25,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,980,082.86. The trade was a 16.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AEP opened at $126.43 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $117.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $115.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market cap of $67.52 billion, a PE ratio of 18.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.62. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $97.46 and a fifty-two week high of $128.92.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.04. American Electric Power had a net margin of 17.23% and a return on equity of 11.00%. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.24 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. Analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.39%.

American Electric Power News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: AEP beat Q4 EPS and revenue estimates, reporting $1.19 operating EPS vs. $1.15 consensus and revenue up ~13% y/y; management reaffirmed long‑term 7%–9% operating earnings growth and issued FY2026 guidance of $6.15–$6.45. AEP Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management doubled AEP’s contracted incremental load outlook to 56 GW by 2030 (from 28 GW), driven largely by data‑center deals — a multiyear demand pipeline that supports higher regulated investment and rate base growth. AEP doubles contracted load outlook
• Positive Sentiment: AEP said it will expand its five‑year capital plan (>$72B) and identified $5B–$8B of incremental investment opportunities to meet surging electricity demand from hyperscale customers, indicating stronger future capex and regulated earnings growth. AEP expands spending plan, beats profit estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Market coverage noted the upbeat earnings and guidance helped AEP buck a broader market decline today, supporting near‑term share strength. S&P 500 Falls Over 1%; AEP Shares Gain After Upbeat Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings materials and the Q4 call transcript provide detail on drivers (weather, merchant volumes, timing of other items) that investors will parse for sustainability of results. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst pieces and value comparisons (e.g., vs. FirstEnergy) are evaluating relative valuation and yield — useful for positioning but not immediate catalysts. FE vs. AEP: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?
• Neutral Sentiment: Data entries show reported short‑interest changes with zero shares/NaN (likely a reporting anomaly) — not a reliable signal for current positioning. (internal data)
• Negative Sentiment: The FERC rejected AEP’s request to sell capacity in an upcoming auction, which could limit near‑term monetization of some capacity or alter planning assumptions; investors may watch for follow‑on regulatory implications. FERC rejects AEP request to sell capacity

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on AEP shares. Siebert Williams Shank assumed coverage on American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $137.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $114.00 to $107.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of American Electric Power to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Bank of America downgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $131.00 to $122.00 in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.39.

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.