American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Price Target Raised to $149.00

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP – Free Report) had its price target upped by Wells Fargo & Company from $148.00 to $149.00 in a report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

AEP has been the topic of several other research reports. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Scotiabank cut their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $140.00 to $131.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Electric Power from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 24th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $148.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $139.00.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on AEP

American Electric Power Stock Up 0.7%

NASDAQ:AEP opened at $130.21 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. American Electric Power has a 12-month low of $112.54 and a 12-month high of $140.58. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $123.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $127.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.48.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.19. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.52% and a net margin of 14.21%. The business had revenue of $6.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.55 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.80 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that American Electric Power will post 6.41 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 10th will be given a $0.97 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 10th. This represents a $3.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. This is a boost from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is presently 61.39%.

Insider Transactions at American Electric Power

In related news, CAO Kate Dixon sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total transaction of $250,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 15,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,982,000. This represents a 11.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Costello Asset Management INC raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 118.0% during the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Premier Financial Group acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting American Electric Power

Here are the key news stories impacting American Electric Power this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: AEP reported third-quarter earnings of $2.23 per share, above the $2.04 analyst consensus, while revenue reached $6.83 billion versus expectations of $6.55 billion. Revenue increased 13.7% year over year. AEP Third-Quarter Earnings Results
  • Positive Sentiment: The utility raised its long-term operating earnings growth outlook to 9%-11% annually for 2027-2031, backed by a five-year capital plan totaling approximately $100 billion. AEP Growth Outlook and Capital Plan
  • Positive Sentiment: AEP is increasing planned investment in generation and transmission by 30% to capitalize on large-load growth, including data-center demand. Management cited 84 gigawatts of contracted load, improving visibility into future electricity sales. AEP Investment Plan Increase
  • Positive Sentiment: Analysts responded favorably: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $149 with an overweight rating, while BMO Capital increased its target to $137. Jacobs was also selected to advance AEP’s transmission modernization program. Wells Fargo AEP Rating
  • Neutral Sentiment: West Virginia’s push to attract data centers could create additional demand for AEP’s power-generation and transmission assets, although the broader regulatory and political debate around data centers remains a consideration. West Virginia Data-Center Development
  • Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, coverage noted tighter margins, and Mizuho maintained a neutral rating. The scale of AEP’s capital program also increases financing, execution and regulatory risks. AEP Margins and Earnings Reaction

About American Electric Power

(Get Free Report)

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) is an electric utility holding company that generates, transmits and distributes electricity to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers. Through its operating companies, AEP provides regulated electric service and manages power generation assets using a mix of energy resources, including natural gas, coal, nuclear, hydroelectric and renewable energy.

AEP operates one of the largest electric transmission systems in the United States and supplies electricity across portions of Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

Further Reading

Analyst Recommendations for American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP)

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