BMO Capital Markets Issues Pessimistic Forecast for American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Stock Price

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) had its price target decreased by equities researchers at BMO Capital Markets from $141.00 to $138.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a “market perform” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets’ target price indicates a potential upside of 2.51% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on American Electric Power from $137.00 to $136.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Evercore boosted their price target on American Electric Power from $137.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Mizuho increased their price objective on American Electric Power from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Bank of America cut shares of American Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $131.00 to $122.00 in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.18.

American Electric Power Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of AEP traded up $3.00 on Wednesday, hitting $134.62. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 264,051 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,348,931. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $131.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $123.02. American Electric Power has a fifty-two week low of $97.46 and a fifty-two week high of $137.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.58.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.07 billion. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.46% and a net margin of 16.37%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.24 EPS. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that American Electric Power will post 6.34 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $177,602.46. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,410 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,025,798.60. This represents a 8.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $5,582,097.04. This represents a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Electric Power

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AEP. Financial Enhancement Group LLC lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Financial Enhancement Group LLC now owns 2,383 shares of the company’s stock worth $319,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. J2 Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in American Electric Power by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. J2 Capital Management Inc now owns 4,099 shares of the company’s stock valued at $537,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC grew its holdings in American Electric Power by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 24,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,793,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC increased its position in American Electric Power by 15.0% during the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 638 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Finally, Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in American Electric Power by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,177 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% 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.