BCS Wealth Management Takes Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Key Points

• BCS Wealth Management opened a new position in American Electric Power in Q4, buying 7,944 shares (~$916,000), while institutional ownership of AEP stands at about 75.24% amid large stake increases from firms like Victory Capital and Soroban.
• American Electric Power beat Q4 estimates with $1.19 EPS (vs. $1.15) and $5.32B revenue (vs. $5.07B), set FY2026 guidance of 6.150–6.450 EPS, and carries an average analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $136.81 target.
• The company recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.95 (annualized $3.80) for a yield of about 2.8%, with a dividend payout ratio near 56.7%.

BCS Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 7,944 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $916,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in American Electric Power by 105.6% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,379,342 shares of the company's stock valued at $595,243,000 after acquiring an additional 2,763,328 shares during the period. Soroban Capital Partners LP boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 176.3% in the second quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 4,004,686 shares of the company's stock worth $415,526,000 after purchasing an additional 2,555,415 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 357.5% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,957,491 shares of the company's stock worth $225,718,000 after purchasing an additional 1,529,662 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 118.2% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,585,605 shares of the company's stock worth $286,692,000 after purchasing an additional 1,400,547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 26.8% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,084,813 shares of the company's stock worth $684,772,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285,279 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AEP. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on American Electric Power from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on American Electric Power from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Bank of America lowered American Electric Power from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $131.00 to $122.00 in a research report on Monday, January 12th. 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.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $136.81.

American Electric Power Stock Down 0.8%

NASDAQ:AEP opened at $134.39 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.45. The company has a market cap of $73.05 billion, a PE ratio of 20.06, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.58. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $97.46 and a 52-week high of $137.74. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $130.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $122.31.

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

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total value of $542,320.48. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,582,097.04. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $177,602.46. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company 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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