American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Given New $136.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target on American Electric Power to $136 from $137 but maintained an "overweight" rating, implying roughly a 2.8% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: 14 analysts rate AEP a Buy and nine rate it a Hold, with an average price target of $138.32 and several firms recently lifting targets into the $140s.
• AEP recently beat quarterly estimates (EPS $1.19 vs. $1.15; revenue $5.32B, up 13.2% YoY) and issued FY2026 guidance of $6.15–$6.45 EPS, near the analyst consensus of about $6.33.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) had its price objective lowered by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $137.00 to $136.00 in a report released on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 2.76% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on AEP. Seaport Research Partners upgraded American Electric Power from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday. Truist Financial started coverage on American Electric Power in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $148.00 price objective for the company. Wolfe Research upgraded American Electric Power from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $142.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Argus lifted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial upped their price target on American Electric Power from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $138.32.

American Electric Power Stock Down 0.7%

American Electric Power stock opened at $132.35 on Tuesday. American Electric Power has a twelve month low of $97.46 and a twelve month high of $137.74. The business has a fifty day moving average of $131.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $122.84. The firm has a market cap of $71.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.07 billion. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.46% and a net margin of 16.37%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.24 EPS. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that American Electric Power will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at American Electric Power

In other news, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total transaction of $542,320.48. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 42,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,582,097.04. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $177,602.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,410 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,025,798.60. The trade was a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AEP. Czech National Bank boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 141,141 shares of the company's stock worth $16,275,000 after buying an additional 5,314 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI lifted its stake in American Electric Power by 462.1% during the 3rd quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 52,953 shares of the company's stock worth $5,958,000 after acquiring an additional 43,533 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its holdings in American Electric Power by 228.6% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 51,659 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,812,000 after acquiring an additional 35,938 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its position in American Electric Power by 807.5% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 263,751 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,672,000 after acquiring an additional 234,689 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Community Financial Services Group LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at about $4,379,000. 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.