American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP Shares Purchased by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management increased its AEP stake by 762.2% in the third quarter, acquiring 706,651 additional shares for a total holding of 799,363 shares valued at approximately $94.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 75.24% of the utility.
• AEP is pursuing major growth investments, including a roughly $4 billion Wyoming fuel-cell project under a 20-year Google agreement and the potential purchase of up to 1.6 gigawatts of Mainspring generators. These deals could support long-term data-center demand but also raise execution, financing, and balance-sheet risks.
• AEP reported quarterly EPS of $1.36, below the $1.48 consensus estimate, despite 7% year-over-year revenue growth, and maintained a $0.95 quarterly dividend yielding about 3%. Analysts hold a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $138.91, though views range from bullish to neutral.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 762.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 799,363 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 706,651 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 0.15% of American Electric Power worth $94,836,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Costello Asset Management INC raised its position in shares of American Electric Power by 100.0% in the first quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 200 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Union Savings Bank acquired a new stake in American Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 118.0% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Key American Electric Power News

Here are the key news stories impacting American Electric Power this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Growth opportunity from Google power agreement: AEP plans to invest approximately $4 billion in a Wyoming fuel-cell power project under a 20-year agreement with Google. The contract could provide long-term revenue visibility and position AEP to benefit from rising electricity demand from artificial-intelligence and data-center operations. AEP Plans $4 Billion Fuel Cell Power Plant for Google
• Positive Sentiment: Additional generation capacity: AEP also agreed to purchase up to 1.6 gigawatts of Mainspring linear generators, supporting its ability to serve large commercial loads and potentially expand regulated and contracted earnings over time. AEP in deal to buy up to 1.6 GW of Mainspring linear generators
• Positive Sentiment: Evercore remains bullish: Evercore ISI maintained a Buy rating on AEP, reinforcing the positive view around the company’s growth prospects and demand from large electricity customers. Evercore ISI remains a Buy on AEP
• Neutral Sentiment: KeyCorp’s estimates were mixed: KeyCorp kept an Overweight rating and a $133 price target while raising its FY2026 EPS estimate to $6.42 and FY2027 estimate to $6.84. However, it lowered its Q3 estimate to $2.09 and made a minor reduction to its FY2030 forecast. KeyCorp estimate changes for AEP
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views remain divided: Goldman Sachs reaffirmed a Hold rating, tempering the more optimistic signal from Evercore and KeyCorp. Goldman Sachs reaffirms Hold rating on AEP
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and financing risk: The $4 billion fuel-cell investment and generator purchases require significant capital. Investors may remain concerned about construction execution, returns on investment, and the effect of added spending on AEP’s balance sheet.

Insider Transactions at American Electric Power

In other American Electric Power news, CAO Kate Dixon sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total transaction of $250,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 15,856 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,982,000. This represents a 11.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.05% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AEP opened at $127.14 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $69.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.48. The company's 50-day moving average is $122.64 and its 200 day moving average is $128.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a current ratio of 0.50. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $112.54 and a fifty-two week high of $140.58.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.12). American Electric Power had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 13.78%. The company had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.43 EPS. The business's revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.250-6.550 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.39 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on AEP shares. KeyCorp upgraded American Electric Power from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $133.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday. Citigroup decreased their price objective on American Electric Power from $148.00 to $142.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $129.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $146.00 to $139.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $135.00 to $128.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.91.

About American Electric Power

American Electric Power NASDAQ: AEP is a regulated electric utility holding company that generates, transmits and distributes electricity to residential, commercial, industrial and other customers. Through its operating companies, AEP owns and manages a diverse portfolio of power plants, electric distribution systems and one of the largest transmission networks in the United States.

AEP serves customers across parts of 11 states, including Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

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