Citigroup Cuts American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Price Target to $142.00

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) had its target price trimmed by Citigroup from $148.00 to $142.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

AEP has been the topic of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $136.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $144.00 price objective on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Friday, May 8th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $141.00 to $139.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.71.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of American Electric Power stock opened at $125.73 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $68.45 billion, a PE ratio of 21.57, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 has a 52 week low of $105.70 and a 52 week high of $140.58. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $131.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $130.06.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.34 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.43 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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 forecast that American Electric Power will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.18%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Electric Power

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of American Electric Power by 118.0% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 100.0% during the first quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 72.2% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 7,300.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optima Capital LLC purchased a new position in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.