Empowered Funds LLC Invests $13.59 Million in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 99,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,592,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Essex Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of American Electric Power by 0.9% during the first quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 8,215 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,077,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC lifted its position in American Electric Power by 1.3% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 5,831 shares of the company’s stock valued at $764,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Financial Enhancement Group LLC boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Financial Enhancement Group LLC now owns 2,383 shares of the company’s stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Community Trust & Investment Co. boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 1.7% in the second quarter. Community Trust & Investment Co. now owns 4,730 shares of the company’s stock valued at $647,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Finally, J2 Capital Management Inc grew its position in American Electric Power by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. J2 Capital Management Inc now owns 4,099 shares of the company’s stock worth $537,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on AEP. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $139.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. 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 report on Thursday, June 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $148.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.19.

American Electric Power Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of American Electric Power stock opened at $122.31 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.98, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.52. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $105.70 and a twelve month high of $140.58. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $130.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $130.57.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.34 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 13.78% and a return on equity of 9.95%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.43 EPS. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.250-6.550 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is currently 65.18%.

About American Electric Power

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.