Gateway Wealth Partners LLC Buys 6,390 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Gateway Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 162.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,335 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,390 shares during the period. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $1,355,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Costello Asset Management INC lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 100.0% during the first quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 72.2% in 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. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 7,300.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Optima Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AEP. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on American Electric Power from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen cut American Electric Power from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on American Electric Power from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH dropped their price objective on American Electric Power from $148.00 to $143.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.71.

American Electric Power Price Performance

AEP stock opened at $133.02 on Wednesday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $105.70 and a 52 week high of $140.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $131.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $129.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.07. American Electric Power had a net margin of 16.29% and a return on equity of 10.21%. The firm had revenue of $6.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.72 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.54 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.120-6.420 EPS. 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.80%.

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.