American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Stock Price Expected to Rise, BMO Capital Markets Analyst Says

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) had its target price raised by stock analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $123.00 to $125.00 in a report released on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has a “market perform” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price target suggests a potential upside of 5.11% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on AEP. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $113.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. TD Cowen raised shares of American Electric Power to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $128.00 to $137.00 in a report on Monday, November 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on American Electric Power from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.39.

American Electric Power Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of AEP stock traded up $0.91 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $118.93. 129,499 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,134,247. The stock has a market cap of $63.52 billion, a PE ratio of 17.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.63. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $117.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $114.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. American Electric Power has a 12 month low of $97.32 and a 12 month high of $124.80.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.07, for a total transaction of $575,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 25,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,980,082.86. This represents a 16.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Electric Power

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter valued at $533,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 20.1% in the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 265,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,768,000 after acquiring an additional 44,540 shares during the period. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. boosted its holdings in American Electric Power by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. now owns 114,224 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,171,000 after purchasing an additional 7,833 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the fourth quarter valued at $4,600,000. Finally, Latitude Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Latitude Advisors LLC now owns 3,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $357,000 after acquiring an additional 346 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

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.