Fifth Third Bancorp Buys 162,919 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 65.3% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 412,400 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 162,919 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $54,057,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $978,000 after buying an additional 1,095 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 1st quarter worth approximately $320,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 149.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $507,000 after acquiring an additional 2,931 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 2,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $260,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AXA S.A. boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 95.7% during the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 79,111 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,209,000 after acquiring an additional 38,684 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of AEP stock opened at $135.43 on Monday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $103.64 and a twelve month high of $140.58. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $131.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $128.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.52.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.07. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.21% and a net margin of 16.29%.The firm had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.72 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.54 earnings per share. 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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AEP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Seaport Research Partners upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Citigroup raised their target price on American Electric Power from $132.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $138.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on American Electric Power from $147.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.38.

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.