American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Given New $129.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) had its price target decreased by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $136.00 to $129.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price would indicate a potential downside of 0.38% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wolfe Research raised shares of American Electric Power from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Truist Financial began coverage on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $148.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners raised shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.24.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

AEP stock traded up $0.63 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $129.50. 334,031 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,568,015. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.46 billion, a PE ratio of 19.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $132.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $124.87. American Electric Power has a 52 week low of $100.72 and a 52 week high of $139.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.53.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.72 billion. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.21% and a net margin of 16.29%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.54 earnings per share. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.120-6.420 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that American Electric Power will post 6.35 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $177,602.46. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total transaction of $542,320.48. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Costello Asset Management INC lifted its stake in American Electric Power by 100.0% during the first quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 72.2% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of American Electric Power by 7,300.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Optima Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 330.2% during the 3rd quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.