Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Raises Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 886,572 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 35,291 shares during the period. American Electric Power comprises approximately 1.6% of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $102,231,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,922,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,253,827,000 after buying an additional 406,445 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,802,211 shares of the company’s stock worth $809,557,000 after acquiring an additional 432,441 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased 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 worth $684,772,000 after acquiring an additional 1,285,279 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 2,763,328 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 8.0% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Price Performance

AEP stock opened at $128.30 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $126.37 and a 200-day moving average of $119.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.61. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $97.46 and a 12 month high of $135.00. 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 (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its earnings results 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 net margin of 16.37% and a return on equity of 10.46%. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.24 EPS. American Electric Power’s 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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AEP. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $125.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Friday, February 20th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $121.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of American Electric Power from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $136.10.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the 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 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,582,097.04. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.07% 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.