American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Price Target Cut to $138.00 by Analysts at BMO Capital Markets

Key Points

• American Electric Power (AEP): BMO Capital Markets cut its price target to $138 from $141 and maintained a "market perform" rating, implying only about a 2.5% upside from the prior close.
• The analyst landscape is mixed but leans positive — the consensus rating is "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $138.18, while several firms have both raised and lowered targets in recent reports.
• AEP recently beat quarterly estimates (EPS $1.19 vs. $1.15 est.; revenue $5.32B vs. $5.07B) and issued FY2026 guidance of $6.15–$6.45 EPS, roughly in line with analyst expectations of ~$6.34.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) had its price target reduced by analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $141.00 to $138.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a "market perform" rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets' price objective suggests a potential upside of 2.51% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on AEP. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on American Electric Power from $137.00 to $136.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Seaport Research Partners upgraded American Electric Power from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on American Electric Power from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $138.18.

American Electric Power Price Performance

AEP traded up $3.00 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $134.62. The company had a trading volume of 264,051 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,348,931. American Electric Power has a twelve month low of $97.46 and a twelve month high of $137.74. The company has a market capitalization of $73.17 billion, a PE ratio of 20.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.45. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $131.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $123.02.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.07 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 16.37% and a return on equity of 10.46%. American Electric Power's quarterly revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.24 earnings per share. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that American Electric Power will post 6.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total transaction of $542,320.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 42,263 shares in the company, 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 is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $177,602.46. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,410 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,025,798.60. This trade represents a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 105.6% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,379,342 shares of the company's stock worth $595,243,000 after purchasing an additional 2,763,328 shares during the period. Soroban Capital Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 176.3% in the 2nd quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 4,004,686 shares of the company's stock valued at $415,526,000 after buying an additional 2,555,415 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of American Electric Power by 357.5% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,957,491 shares of the company's stock valued at $225,718,000 after buying an additional 1,529,662 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in American Electric Power by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 30,437,776 shares of the company's stock worth $3,509,780,000 after buying an additional 1,514,865 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in American Electric Power by 118.2% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,585,605 shares of the company's stock worth $286,692,000 after buying an additional 1,400,547 shares during the period. 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.