Legal & General Group Plc Acquires New Shares in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 4,975,065 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $680,638,000. Legal & General Group Plc owned about 0.91% of American Electric Power at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 72.2% during 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 in the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 100.0% during the 1st quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Electric Power Price Performance

NASDAQ AEP opened at $121.98 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $130.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $130.58. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $105.70 and a twelve month high of $140.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.41 billion, a PE ratio of 20.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a current ratio of 0.50.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its earnings results 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). American Electric Power had a net margin of 13.78% and a return on equity of 9.95%. The business had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.34 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.43 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.250-6.550 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AEP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their target price on American Electric Power from $148.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on American Electric Power from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $138.00 to $129.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $144.00 price objective on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Friday, May 8th. Thirteen equities research 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 an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.19.

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.