Van ECK Associates Corp Buys 19,050 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 10.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 204,026 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 19,050 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $22,953,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in American Electric Power by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 52,467,779 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,444,057,000 after acquiring an additional 197,998 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,516,466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,958,869,000 after purchasing an additional 653,712 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in American Electric Power by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,352,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,379,532,000 after purchasing an additional 285,000 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,802,211 shares of the company’s stock worth $809,557,000 after buying an additional 432,441 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of American Electric Power by 105.6% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,379,342 shares of the company’s stock worth $595,243,000 after buying an additional 2,763,328 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AEP has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of 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. Bank of America downgraded 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. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $133.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Argus increased their target price on American Electric Power from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.24.

Insider Transactions 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 that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.07, for a total value of $575,350.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 25,898 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,980,082.86. This trade represents a 16.18% 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 1,351 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total transaction of $177,602.46. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,025,798.60. This represents a 8.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 10,457 shares of company stock valued at $1,295,273 in the last ninety days. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

American Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of AEP stock opened at $131.26 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $123.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $118.32. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $97.46 and a twelve month high of $134.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 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 (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.04. American Electric Power had a net margin of 16.37% and a return on equity of 10.46%. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.07 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.24 EPS. The company’s revenue 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. On average, analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were issued 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 payout ratio is 56.72%.

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.