Global Retirement Partners LLC Invests $3.79 Million in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 27,690 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,788,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth $32,032,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its stake in American Electric Power by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 293,033 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,869,000 after purchasing an additional 8,302 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 17.7% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 63,526 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,325,000 after purchasing an additional 9,532 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 52,496,895 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,053,417,000 after purchasing an additional 828,588 shares during the period. Finally, Dockside LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth about $1,912,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $144.00 target price on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Friday, May 8th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $138.00 to $129.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $141.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.71.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

AEP opened at $125.60 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $131.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $130.36. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $105.70 and a 52-week high of $140.58. The company has a market cap of $68.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.54, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.12). American Electric Power had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 13.78%.The company had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.43 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.250-6.550 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is 65.18%.

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.