Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Buys 21,355 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 443,149 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,355 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned approximately 0.08% of American Electric Power worth $52,348,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Advantage Trust Co raised its position in American Electric Power by 57.1% during the 2nd quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 166.0% during the 2nd quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the period. Finally, Missouri Trust & Investment Co bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Electric Power news, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.07, for a total value of $575,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,898 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,980,082.86. This represents a 16.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on AEP. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Cowen began coverage on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Scotiabank upped their target price on American Electric Power from $121.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 target price on American Electric Power in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.18.

American Electric Power Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ AEP traded down $0.46 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $119.50. 274,488 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,956,048. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.53. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $96.85 and a 1-year high of $124.80. The stock has a market cap of $63.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.38, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.63. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $117.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $114.21.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.80 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by ($0.01). American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.00% and a net margin of 17.23%.The company had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.65 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. American Electric Power has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.850-5.95 EPS. On average, analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a $0.95 dividend. This is an increase from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.39%.

American Electric Power 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.