Salem Investment Counselors Inc. Acquires 5,775 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Salem Investment Counselors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 7.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 82,429 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,775 shares during the period. Salem Investment Counselors Inc.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $9,505,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in American Electric Power in the third quarter worth $26,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 330.2% during the third quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in American Electric Power during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the third quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Trading Up 1.8%

American Electric Power stock opened at $127.92 on Tuesday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $97.46 and a 52 week high of $135.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.53 billion, a PE ratio of 19.09, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.61. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $125.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $119.48.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.07 billion. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.46% and a net margin of 16.37%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.24 EPS. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Electric Power

In related news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total transaction of $177,602.46. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,025,798.60. The trade was a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total transaction of $542,320.48. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 42,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,582,097.04. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Friday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on American Electric Power from $125.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. TD Cowen increased their price target on American Electric Power from $137.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $121.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $136.10.

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.