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

Key Points

• Barclays has raised its price target for American Electric Power (AEP) from $105.00 to $111.00, maintaining an "equal weight" rating on the stock.
• Recent earnings showed AEP reporting $1.43 EPS for the quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations of $1.27 and marking an 11.1% year-over-year revenue increase.
• Analyst ratings indicate that AEP has an average rating of "Hold" along with a target price of $111.29, amid varied assessments from other firms including Mizuho and Morgan Stanley.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by Barclays from $105.00 to $111.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Barclays's target price would suggest a potential downside of 1.84% from the stock's current price.

AEP has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Mizuho set a $116.00 price target on shares of American Electric Power and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $114.00 to $113.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $102.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $111.29.

American Electric Power Price Performance

American Electric Power stock opened at $113.08 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.42. American Electric Power has a 52 week low of $89.91 and a 52 week high of $114.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.42. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $104.39 and a 200-day moving average of $103.82.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.16. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.98% and a net margin of 17.68%. The company had revenue of $5.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.25 EPS. American Electric Power's revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that American Electric Power will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.68, for a total transaction of $1,041,277.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,658 shares in the company, valued at approximately $991,683.44. This represents a 51.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,058 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.74, for a total transaction of $819,820.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 10,274 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,045,276.76. This represents a 43.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 34,314 shares of company stock valued at $3,508,293. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Electric Power

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Eagle Strategies LLC lifted its position in American Electric Power by 1.7% during the second quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC now owns 5,515 shares of the company's stock valued at $572,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Clarius Group LLC lifted its position in American Electric Power by 2.5% during the first quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 3,966 shares of the company's stock valued at $433,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its position in American Electric Power by 3.2% during the first quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 3,147 shares of the company's stock valued at $344,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Safeguard Investment Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in American Electric Power by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Safeguard Investment Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,414 shares of the company's stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advantage Trust Co lifted its position in American Electric Power by 57.1% during the second quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 275 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

About American Electric Power

American Electric Power Company, Inc, an electric public utility holding company, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity for sale to retail and wholesale customers in the United States. It operates through Vertically Integrated Utilities, Transmission and Distribution Utilities, AEP Transmission Holdco, and Generation & Marketing segments.

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