American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Upgraded to “Buy” at LADENBURG THALM/SH SH

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) was upgraded by equities researchers at LADENBURG THALM/SH SH from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $148.00 price objective on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 12.19% from the company’s current price.

AEP has been the subject of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $133.00 target price on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $121.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Argus upped their target price on American Electric Power from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on American Electric Power from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, American Electric Power currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.33.

American Electric Power Price Performance

NASDAQ AEP opened at $131.92 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $121.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $117.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.33 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 $134.60.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.04. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.46% and a net margin of 16.37%.The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.24 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue 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. Analysts forecast that American Electric Power will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at American Electric Power

In related news, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total transaction of $542,320.48. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,582,097.04. This represents a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total transaction of $177,602.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,025,798.60. The trade was a 8.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 10,457 shares of company stock worth $1,295,273 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Electric Power

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Activest Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 72.2% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the third quarter worth $26,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 330.2% during the third quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Optima Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

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.