Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires Shares of 23,554 American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 23,554 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,650,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in American Electric Power by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 52,467,779 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,444,057,000 after purchasing an additional 197,998 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in American Electric Power by 2.3% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,516,466 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,958,869,000 after purchasing an additional 653,712 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in American Electric Power by 2.2% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,352,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,379,532,000 after purchasing an additional 285,000 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 5.9% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,802,211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $809,557,000 after buying an additional 432,441 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 105.6% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,379,342 shares of the company’s stock valued at $595,243,000 after buying an additional 2,763,328 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays increased their price target on American Electric Power from $121.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $148.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on American Electric Power from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on American Electric Power from $125.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $121.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.24.

American Electric Power Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:AEP opened at $132.31 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $71.84 billion, a PE ratio of 19.75, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $97.46 and a 12-month high of $134.60. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $123.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $118.23.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.24 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were given 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 is presently 56.72%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total value of $542,320.48. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,582,097.04. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of American Electric Power 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,410 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,025,798.60. The trade was a 8.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 10,457 shares of company stock worth $1,295,273. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

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.