Baird Financial Group Inc. Sells 15,798 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group reduced its American Electric Power stake by 2.5%, selling 15,798 shares and retaining 625,314 shares valued at approximately $85.5 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 75.24% of AEP.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with AEP carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $140.19, despite several firms recently lowering their targets.
• AEP reported quarterly EPS of $1.36, below the $1.48 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 7% year over year to $5.45 billion. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.95 per share, representing a 3.0% annualized yield.

Baird Financial Group Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 2.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 625,314 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,798 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of American Electric Power worth $85,549,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Costello Asset Management INC increased its position in American Electric Power by 100.0% during the 1st quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 200 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Union Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AEP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $148.00 to $142.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Mizuho decreased their price target on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on American Electric Power from $147.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on American Electric Power from $146.00 to $139.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on American Electric Power from $138.00 to $129.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Thirteen investment 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, American Electric Power currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $140.19.

American Electric Power Trading Up 0.7%

NASDAQ:AEP opened at $125.42 on Wednesday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $105.70 and a 12 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 stock has a market capitalization of $68.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.51, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.51. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $128.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $130.50.

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

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio is 65.18%.

American Electric Power Profile

American Electric Power Company, Inc NASDAQ: AEP is an electric utility holding company that generates, transmits and distributes electricity to residential, commercial, industrial and other customers. Its operations include regulated electric utilities, power generation facilities and one of the largest electricity transmission networks in the United States.

AEP provides energy delivery and related utility services through operating companies serving customers across Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

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