Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Purchases 14,480 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 1.6% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 901,052 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 14,480 shares during the period. American Electric Power comprises about 1.6% of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $118,110,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AEP. Costello Asset Management INC raised its position in American Electric Power by 100.0% in the first quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Activest Wealth Management grew its position 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 valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Optima Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on AEP. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $138.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on American Electric Power from $129.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on American Electric Power from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays increased their price target on American Electric Power from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on American Electric Power from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.38.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

American Electric Power stock traded up $1.58 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $135.43. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,220,907 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,694,446. The company has a market capitalization of $73.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.89, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.52. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $103.64 and a 12-month high of $140.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.53. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $131.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $127.97.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released 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. The company had revenue of $6.02 billion for 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.54 EPS. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.120-6.420 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th were issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is presently 55.80%.

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.