American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $126.8684.

AEP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $132.00 to $139.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on American Electric Power from $121.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. BTIG Research started coverage on American Electric Power in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets set a $126.00 target price on American Electric Power in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, October 30th.

American Electric Power Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of AEP opened at $114.49 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $61.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.69, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.61. American Electric Power has a 52 week low of $89.91 and a 52 week high of $124.80. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $118.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $112.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.80 earnings per share (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 analysts’ expectations of $5.65 billion. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.00% and a net margin of 17.23%.The company’s revenue was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.85 earnings per share. American Electric Power has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.850-5.95 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that American Electric Power will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. This is a boost from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is presently 55.39%.

Insider Activity at American Electric Power

In other American Electric Power news, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,006 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total transaction of $112,672.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,676 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $635,712. The trade was a 15.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 16,006 shares of company stock valued at $1,883,522. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of American Electric Power

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 11.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,601 shares of the company’s stock worth $978,000 after purchasing an additional 1,095 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 3.6% during the first quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 11,563 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,263,000 after buying an additional 398 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the first quarter valued at approximately $77,264,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in American Electric Power by 1.4% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 774,560 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,637,000 after acquiring an additional 10,780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compound Planning Inc. grew its holdings in American Electric Power by 15.1% during the 1st quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 8,434 shares of the company’s stock worth $922,000 after acquiring an additional 1,109 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

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.