Securian Asset Management Inc. Reduces Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Securian Asset Management Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 43.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,554 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,268 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $1,678,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Activest Wealth Management increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 72.2% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 330.2% during the 3rd quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 228 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Optima Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 7,300.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Seaport Research Partners raised shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $132.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $137.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $148.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.29.

American Electric Power Price Performance

AEP opened at $130.70 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $132.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $124.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.53. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $97.46 and a 1 year high of $139.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.11 billion, a PE ratio of 19.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.56.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $6.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.72 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.54 earnings per share. The company’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 expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.35 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.80%.

Insider Activity at American Electric Power

In related news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the firm’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 value of $177,602.46. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,025,798.60. This trade represents a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of American Electric Power 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 directly owned 42,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,582,097.04. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Electric Power 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.