American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP Shares Acquired by Welch Group LLC

Key Points

• Welch Group LLC increased its stake in American Electric Power by 3,868.6% in Q4, buying an additional 316,991 shares to hold 325,185 shares (about 0.06% of AEP) valued at ~$37.5 million.
• AEP beat Q4 estimates with $1.19 EPS vs. $1.15 expected and revenue of $5.32 billion (+13.2% YoY), and set FY2026 guidance of $6.150–$6.450 EPS (sell‑side consensus ~5.87).
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.95 ($3.80 annualized, ~2.8% yield, ~56.7% payout ratio), and analysts have raised price targets leaving a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with a target near $136.81.

Welch Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 3,868.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 325,185 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 316,991 shares during the period. Welch Group LLC owned 0.06% of American Electric Power worth $37,497,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 330.2% during the third quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 228 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Optima Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AEP opened at $134.56 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $73.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.08, a PEG ratio of 3.16 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. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a one year low of $97.46 and a one year high of $137.74. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $130.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $122.39.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.07 billion. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.46% and a net margin of 16.37%.The company's revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.24 EPS. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. American Electric Power's payout ratio is currently 56.72%.

Insider Activity at American Electric Power

In other American Electric Power news, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total transaction of $542,320.48. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,263 shares in the company, valued at $5,582,097.04. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of American Electric Power 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 15,410 shares in the company, valued at $2,025,798.60. This represents a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Evercore increased their price objective on American Electric Power from $137.00 to $153.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on American Electric Power from $133.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Argus raised their price target on American Electric Power from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. UBS Group raised their price target on American Electric Power from $132.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on American Electric Power from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $136.81.

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.

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