Jefferies Financial Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Stock

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) had its price target lifted by Jefferies Financial Group from $147.00 to $154.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 12.60% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Monday, June 1st. Evercore raised their price target on American Electric Power from $137.00 to $153.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Seaport Research Partners raised American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $144.00 price objective on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $148.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.38.

American Electric Power Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:AEP traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $136.77. 220,399 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,002,390. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $130.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $126.85. American Electric Power has a one year low of $102.39 and a one year high of $139.44. The company has a market cap of $74.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.53. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.72 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.54 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.120-6.420 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that American Electric Power will post 6.35 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Electric Power

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in American Electric Power by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 141,141 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,275,000 after acquiring an additional 5,314 shares during the last quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC bought a new position in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,032,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 293,033 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,869,000 after purchasing an additional 8,302 shares during the last quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 983.0% in the 4th quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 63,875 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,365,000 after purchasing an additional 57,977 shares during the period. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 17.7% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 63,526 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,325,000 after purchasing an additional 9,532 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Company 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.