Willis Investment Counsel Buys 24,000 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Willis Investment Counsel raised its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 13.4% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 202,900 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 24,000 shares during the quarter. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $21,053,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AEP. Advantage Trust Co grew its stake in American Electric Power by 57.1% during the second quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in American Electric Power by 166.0% in the 2nd quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Missouri Trust & Investment Co purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the first quarter worth $33,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AEP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on American Electric Power from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Barclays lifted their price target on American Electric Power from $111.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $111.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $132.00 to $139.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $110.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.85.

American Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AEP opened at $120.90 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. The stock has a market cap of $64.57 billion, a PE ratio of 17.62, a PEG ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.52. The company’s fifty day moving average is $116.13 and its 200 day moving average is $109.89. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $89.91 and a 52 week high of $124.80.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by ($0.01). The company 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 11.29%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. American Electric Power has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.850-5.95 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 10th. This is an increase from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is presently 55.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.58, for a total value of $607,900.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 30,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,756,578.84. This trade represents a 13.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,006 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total transaction of $112,672.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,676 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $635,712. This represents a 15.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 16,006 shares of company stock valued at $1,851,422. Insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Company Profile

American Electric Power Company, Inc, an electric public utility holding company, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity for sale to retail and wholesale customers in the United States. It operates through Vertically Integrated Utilities, Transmission and Distribution Utilities, AEP Transmission Holdco, and Generation & Marketing segments.