Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Buys 14,480 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Key Points

• Ferguson Wellman Capital Management increased its stake in American Electric Power by 14,480 shares in the first quarter, bringing its total holdings to 901,052 shares valued at about $118.1 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive on AEP, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.38. Several analysts recently lifted targets, including Wells Fargo and Citigroup.
• AEP reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.64 versus estimates of $1.57 and revenue of $6.02 billion versus $5.72 billion expected. The utility also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.95, yielding about 2.8% annually.

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 1.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 901,052 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,480 shares during the quarter. American Electric Power comprises 1.6% of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. owned 0.17% of American Electric Power worth $118,110,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AEP. Essex Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 8,215 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,077,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Financial Enhancement Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 3.3% during the first quarter. Financial Enhancement Group LLC now owns 2,383 shares of the company's stock worth $319,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. J2 Capital Management Inc raised its position in American Electric Power by 2.0% in the first quarter. J2 Capital Management Inc now owns 4,099 shares of the company's stock valued at $537,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 2.9% during the first quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 2,905 shares of the company's stock worth $381,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in American Electric Power by 15.0% during the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 638 shares of the company's stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AEP. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on American Electric Power from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $132.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $141.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 15th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $141.38.

American Electric Power Stock Up 1.2%

NASDAQ AEP traded up $1.58 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $135.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,220,907 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,694,446. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.89, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.52. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $131.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $127.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $103.64 and a twelve month high of $140.58.

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

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th were issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 8th. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.80%.

American Electric Power 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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