Brokerages Set American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Price Target at $140.19

Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $140.1905.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Truist Financial cut their target price on American Electric Power from $146.00 to $139.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 17th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $139.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $141.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 15th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH decreased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $148.00 to $143.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $147.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st.

American Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of AEP opened at $122.31 on Friday. American Electric Power has a 52-week low of $105.70 and a 52-week high of $140.58. The company has a market capitalization of $66.59 billion, a PE ratio of 20.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $130.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $130.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

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

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of American Electric Power

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $978,000 after purchasing an additional 1,095 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in American Electric Power in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $320,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 149.5% in the second 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 in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 4.4% in the second 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. increased its position in shares of American Electric Power by 95.7% during the second 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

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.