American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP Stock Acquired by Gradient Investments LLC

Key Points

• Gradient Investments increased its AEP stake by 12.9% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 136,900 shares valued at approximately $16.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 75.24% of the utility’s stock.
• Analysts maintain a generally favorable outlook, with 13 Buy ratings and nine Holds, resulting in a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $139.62.
• AEP shares opened at $122.32, while the company reported quarterly revenue growth of 7% year over year but missed EPS expectations. AEP also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.95 per share, representing a 3.1% annualized yield.

Gradient Investments LLC raised its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 12.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 136,900 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 15,670 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC's holdings in American Electric Power were worth $16,242,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AEP. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC raised its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 6,543 shares of the company's stock valued at $776,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,152 shares of the company's stock worth $849,000 after purchasing an additional 806 shares during the period. Venture Visionary Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 71,862 shares of the company's stock worth $8,526,000 after purchasing an additional 5,816 shares during the period. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 80.9% in the 3rd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 351 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cooper Financial Group increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 3,918 shares of the company's stock valued at $465,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on AEP. BMO Capital Markets restated a "market perform" rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Monday, September 21st. UBS Group set a $139.00 price objective on American Electric Power in a report on Monday, September 21st. Citigroup decreased their target price on American Electric Power from $148.00 to $142.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Barclays lowered their target price on American Electric Power from $138.00 to $129.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $139.62.

American Electric Power Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:AEP opened at $122.32 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $122.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $128.78. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $112.54 and a twelve month high of $140.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company has a market capitalization of $66.59 billion, a PE ratio of 20.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.48.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.12). American Electric Power had a net margin of 13.78% and a return on equity of 9.95%. The company had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.34 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.43 earnings per share. The company's quarterly 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 analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.18%.

Insider Activity at American Electric Power

In other news, CAO Kate Dixon sold 2,000 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total transaction of $250,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 15,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,982,000. The trade was 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 accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.05% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.