Gabelli Funds LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Gabelli Funds LLC decreased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 601,750 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,600 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $69,388,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 52,496,895 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,053,417,000 after buying an additional 828,588 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,922,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,253,827,000 after purchasing an additional 406,445 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 26.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,084,813 shares of the company’s stock valued at $684,772,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285,279 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 105.6% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,379,342 shares of the company’s stock valued at $595,243,000 after purchasing an additional 2,763,328 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,223,848 shares of the company’s stock valued at $587,683,000 after purchasing an additional 388,540 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of AEP opened at $125.15 on Monday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $100.72 and a 52-week high of $139.44. The company has a market capitalization of $68.09 billion, a PE ratio of 18.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.56. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $132.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $124.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.07. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.21% and a net margin of 16.29%.The business had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.72 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.54 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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, equities analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AEP. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $144.00 price objective on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Friday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup raised their price objective on American Electric Power from $132.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. 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, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.57.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Electric Power news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,025,798.60. This trade represents a 8.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total value of $542,320.48. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,582,097.04. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.05% of the stock is 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.