LADENBURG THALM/SH SH Cuts American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Price Target to $117.50

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) had its price objective decreased by LADENBURG THALM/SH SH from $124.50 to $117.50 in a research note released on Friday,MarketScreener reports. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on American Electric Power from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised American Electric Power from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $128.00 to $137.00 in a research note on Monday, November 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $128.00 to $133.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Siebert Williams Shank assumed coverage on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Thursday, December 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $137.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $121.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.29.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AEP opened at $116.63 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. American Electric Power has a 1-year low of $97.05 and a 1-year high of $124.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.63. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $117.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $114.61.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued 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 business had revenue of $6.01 billion during 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 11.00%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. American Electric Power has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.850-5.95 EPS. Equities analysts predict that American Electric Power will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is currently 55.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Electric Power news, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director owned 25,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,980,082.86. This represents a 16.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 105.6% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,379,342 shares of the company’s stock worth $595,243,000 after purchasing an additional 2,763,328 shares in the last quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP raised its position in American Electric Power by 176.3% during the second quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 4,004,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $415,526,000 after acquiring an additional 2,555,415 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in American Electric Power by 357.5% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,957,491 shares of the company’s stock valued at $225,718,000 after acquiring an additional 1,529,662 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in American Electric Power by 118.2% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,585,605 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,692,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400,547 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of American Electric Power by 26.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,084,813 shares of the company’s stock valued at $684,772,000 after acquiring an additional 1,285,279 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.