American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP Shares Acquired by Salem Investment Counselors Inc.

Salem Investment Counselors Inc. boosted its position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 7.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 82,429 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,775 shares during the period. Salem Investment Counselors Inc.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $9,505,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the third quarter worth $26,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of American Electric Power by 330.2% during the third 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 period. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in American Electric Power by 3,000.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America cut shares of American Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $131.00 to $122.00 in a report on Monday, January 12th. Argus boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on American Electric Power from $133.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Williams Trading set a $137.00 target price on American Electric Power in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on American Electric Power from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $136.10.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of AEP opened at $127.92 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $69.53 billion, a PE ratio of 19.09, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.45. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $125.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $119.48. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $97.46 and a 52 week high of $135.00.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.07 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 16.37% and a return on equity of 10.46%. The company’s revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.24 EPS. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. Research analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.72%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Electric Power news, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total value of $542,320.48. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 42,263 shares in the company, valued at $5,582,097.04. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $177,602.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.07% 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.