American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Upgraded to Neutral at UBS Group

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) was upgraded by research analysts at UBS Group from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued on Friday,Finviz reports. The brokerage presently has a $132.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group’s price objective points to a potential downside of 0.08% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded American Electric Power from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $133.00 price objective on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $125.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $132.53.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of AEP opened at $132.10 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $71.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.62. The company’s fifty day moving average is $120.36 and its 200-day moving average is $117.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. American Electric Power has a 12 month low of $97.46 and a 12 month high of $133.06.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.07 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 16.37% and a return on equity of 10.46%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.24 earnings per share. American Electric Power’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. Equities analysts expect that American Electric Power will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Electric Power

In related news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were 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 owned 15,410 shares in the company, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.07, for a total value of $575,350.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,898 shares in the company, valued at $2,980,082.86. This represents a 16.18% 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 owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Electric Power

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 105.6% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,379,342 shares of the company’s stock worth $595,243,000 after buying an additional 2,763,328 shares in the last quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 176.3% during the 2nd quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 4,004,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $415,526,000 after acquiring an additional 2,555,415 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 357.5% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,957,491 shares of the company’s stock valued at $225,718,000 after acquiring an additional 1,529,662 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in American Electric Power by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 30,437,776 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,509,780,000 after acquiring an additional 1,514,865 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in American Electric Power by 118.2% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,585,605 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,692,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400,547 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.