American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP Shares Purchased by Vanguard Group Inc.

Key Points

• Vanguard Group raised its AEP stake by 1.6% in Q4, buying 828,588 shares to hold 52,496,895 shares (about 9.83%) valued at roughly $6.05 billion.
• Q4 results beat expectations—EPS $1.19 vs. $1.15 and revenue $5.32B vs. $5.07B (revenue +13.2% YoY)—and AEP set FY2026 guidance of $6.15–$6.45 EPS with analysts forecasting $6.34.
• Wall Street sentiment is a "Moderate Buy" with a consensus target of $138.18, reflecting a mix of recent price-target adjustments and ratings (1 Strong Buy, 13 Buys, 9 Holds).

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 52,496,895 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 828,588 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 9.83% of American Electric Power worth $6,053,417,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in American Electric Power by 330.2% in the 3rd quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 228 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Optima Capital LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in American Electric Power by 7,300.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AEP has been the topic of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $138.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays boosted their price target on American Electric Power from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on American Electric Power from $139.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $137.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.18.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of American Electric Power stock opened at $134.73 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $132.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $123.31. The stock has a market cap of $73.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.58. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $97.46 and a 1-year high of $137.74.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.46% and a net margin of 16.37%.The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.24 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. Analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total transaction of $177,602.46. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,410 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,025,798.60. The trade was a 8.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the firm'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 sale, the executive vice president owned 42,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,582,097.04. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.05% 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.

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