Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. Acquires 19,816 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Key Points

• Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its stake in American Electric Power by 8.1% in the fourth quarter, adding 19,816 shares and bringing its total holdings to 264,353 shares worth about $30.5 million.
• American Electric Power reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.64 and revenue of $6.02 billion, both above analyst estimates and up year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.95 per share, implying an annualized yield of 2.9%, while analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $141.57.

Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 8.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 264,353 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 19,816 shares during the quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc.'s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $30,482,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AEP. Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 72.2% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 330.2% in the third quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 228 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Optima Capital LLC bought a new position in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 7,300.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 200.0% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 231 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AEP opened at $128.92 on Wednesday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $100.72 and a 1-year high of $139.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $132.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $124.82. The company has a market capitalization of $70.15 billion, a PE ratio of 18.93, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.56.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.07. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.21% and a net margin of 16.29%.The firm had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.72 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.54 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.120-6.420 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Electric Power

In related news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total transaction of $177,602.46. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,410 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,025,798.60. This trade represents a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total value of $542,320.48. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,263 shares in the company, valued at $5,582,097.04. This trade represents a 8.86% 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $138.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Argus increased their price objective on American Electric Power from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. TD Cowen increased their price objective on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $144.00 price objective on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on American Electric Power from $132.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, March 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $141.57.

About American Electric Power

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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