American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Downgraded to “Sell” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on AEP. Seaport Research Partners upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $144.00 price target on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Friday. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $148.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.29.

American Electric Power Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:AEP opened at $130.16 on Friday. American Electric Power has a one year low of $97.46 and a one year high of $139.44. The company has a 50 day moving average of $132.70 and a 200-day moving average of $124.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market cap of $70.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.56.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.07. American Electric Power had a net margin of 16.29% and a return on equity of 10.21%. The company had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.54 EPS. American Electric Power’s 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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American Electric Power will post 6.35 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is currently 55.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,410 shares in the company, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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. This represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Costello Asset Management INC boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 100.0% in the first quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 72.2% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 7,300.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. Optima Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. 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.