American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold Rating

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded American Electric Power from "sell" to "hold," and the stock sits at a consensus "Moderate Buy" from analysts with an average price target of $138.18.
• AEP beat quarterly EPS estimates ($1.19 vs. $1.15) and reported revenue up 13.2% year-over-year, while issuing FY2026 guidance of $6.15–$6.45 in EPS (sell-side consensus: 6.34).
• Two executive VPs recently sold shares (reducing their holdings) even as institutional investors own about 75% of the company; AEP trades near $134.73 with a market cap of ~$73.2B and a PE of 20.11.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Sunday.

AEP has been the topic of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on American Electric Power from $139.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Wolfe Research upgraded American Electric Power from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $142.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Mizuho upped their price objective on American Electric Power from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on American Electric Power from $137.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. One 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 data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $138.18.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

AEP opened at $134.73 on Friday. American Electric Power has a 52-week low of $97.46 and a 52-week high of $137.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.23 billion, a PE ratio of 20.11, a PEG ratio of 3.17 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 business's 50-day simple moving average is $132.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $123.28.

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

Insider Activity at American Electric Power

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Electric Power

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Essex Financial Services Inc. grew its position in American Electric Power by 0.9% during the first quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 8,215 shares of the company's stock worth $1,077,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Financial Enhancement Group LLC grew its position in American Electric Power by 3.3% during the first quarter. Financial Enhancement Group LLC now owns 2,383 shares of the company's stock worth $319,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. J2 Capital Management Inc grew its position in American Electric Power by 2.0% during the first quarter. J2 Capital Management Inc now owns 4,099 shares of the company's stock worth $537,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC grew its position in American Electric Power by 0.3% during the third quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 24,823 shares of the company's stock worth $2,793,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC grew its position in American Electric Power by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 638 shares of the company's stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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