5,590 Shares in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP Purchased by Fortress Financial Solutions LLC

Fortress Financial Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 5,590 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $663,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the second quarter worth about $6,980,601,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its holdings in American Electric Power by 43.7% in the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,688,208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $221,290,000 after purchasing an additional 513,305 shares during the last quarter. Silvant Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,278,000. Bellars Harris Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $10,377,000. Finally, Oxford Financial Group LTD. LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,208,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key American Electric Power News

Here are the key news stories impacting American Electric Power this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google signs 20-year power agreement: AEP plans to invest approximately $4 billion in a 702-megawatt fuel-cell generation project near Cheyenne, Wyoming. Google will purchase the output under a 20-year power purchase agreement, providing long-term contracted revenue visibility. AEP will own approximately 92% of the project. Google signs 20-year PPA with AEP for 702MW Wyoming fuel cell project
• Positive Sentiment: Large-customer demand is accelerating: The Google project reinforces AEP’s strategy of adding generation to serve data-center growth. Reports also highlighted a potential agreement with Mainspring Energy for up to 1.6 gigawatts of mobile generation capacity, which could bring power online faster and support AEP’s reported 56-gigawatt demand pipeline. Mainspring Energy Signs Landmark 1.6 GW Agreement with AEP
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment improved: KeyBanc upgraded AEP to Overweight from Sector Weight, suggesting the company’s demand pipeline and infrastructure investment plans could drive earnings growth. AEP may also receive up to $3.26 billion in federal funding to modernize its Texas grid, potentially reducing the burden of those investments. AEP Secures Up to $3.26 Billion in Federal Funding
• Neutral Sentiment: Capital requirements remain substantial: The Wyoming fuel-cell project and possible Mainspring purchase could total several billion dollars. While these investments may expand AEP’s rate base and earnings capacity, investors will monitor financing needs, execution, regulatory approvals and returns on capital. AEP to invest $4 billion fuel-cell project to power Google
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays lowered its AEP price target: The target reduction could limit near-term upside and signals that valuation or execution concerns remain despite the favorable demand outlook. American Electric Power Stock Price Target Cut by Barclays

Insider Activity at American Electric Power

In other news, CAO Kate Dixon sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total value of $250,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 15,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,982,000. The trade was a 11.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on AEP. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on American Electric Power from $135.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 18th. Truist Financial cut their target price on American Electric Power from $146.00 to $139.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on American Electric Power from $147.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $141.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.91.

American Electric Power Stock Up 0.4%

NASDAQ:AEP traded up $0.48 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $126.13. The stock had a trading volume of 3,743,480 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,973,147. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 0.50 and a quick ratio of 0.38. The company has a market capitalization of $68.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.48. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $112.54 and a 1-year high of $140.58. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $122.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $128.69.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.12). American Electric Power had a net margin of 13.78% and a return on equity of 9.95%. The firm had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.43 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 6.38 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.18%.

About American Electric Power

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) is a regulated electric utility holding company that generates, transmits and distributes electricity to residential, commercial, industrial and other customers. Through its operating companies, AEP owns and manages a diverse portfolio of power plants, electric distribution systems and one of the largest transmission networks in the United States.

AEP serves customers across parts of 11 states, including Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.