Westpac Banking Corp Has $683,000 Stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Westpac Banking Corp trimmed its position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 53.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,919 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,781 shares during the quarter. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $683,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AEP. Activest Wealth Management raised its position in shares of American Electric Power by 72.2% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of American Electric Power by 330.2% during the third quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 228 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Optima Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of American Electric Power by 7,300.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID raised its position in shares of American Electric Power by 200.0% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Electric Power Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of American Electric Power stock opened at $126.31 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $68.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $131.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $125.39. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $100.72 and a 12-month high of $139.44.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.72 billion. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.21% and a net margin of 16.29%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.54 EPS. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.120-6.420 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on AEP shares. UBS Group upped their target price on American Electric Power from $132.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Seaport Research Partners upgraded American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $144.00 price target on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup upped their price target on American Electric Power from $132.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Evercore upped their price target on American Electric Power from $137.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.10.

American Electric Power 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.