Gabelli Funds LLC Sells 9,900 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Key Points

• Gabelli Funds LLC trimmed its stake in American Electric Power by 1.6% in the first quarter, selling 9,900 shares and ending with 591,850 shares valued at about $77.6 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive, with 13 analysts rating AEP a Buy and nine a Hold, leading to a consensus "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $141.71.
• AEP reported solid earnings and maintained a dividend: it beat Q1 EPS and revenue expectations, raised FY2026 guidance to $6.12–$6.42 per share, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.95 per share, or $3.80 annually.

Gabelli Funds LLC lessened its holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 1.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 591,850 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,900 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC owned approximately 0.11% of American Electric Power worth $77,580,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Activest Wealth Management lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 72.2% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Optima Capital LLC purchased a new stake in American Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 7,300.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC raised its position in American Electric Power by 100.0% in the first quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 200 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AEP has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $147.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Mizuho upped their price objective on American Electric Power from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on American Electric Power from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH decreased their target price on American Electric Power from $148.00 to $143.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $141.71.

American Electric Power News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting American Electric Power this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised several forward EPS estimates for American Electric Power, including FY2026, FY2028, FY2029, and FY2030, signaling confidence in the company’s longer-term earnings growth.
• Positive Sentiment: Other coverage highlighted American Electric Power as one of the utilities names analysts are bullish on, and it was also featured as a defensive stock for stability, which can attract investors looking for lower-volatility holdings. Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: KeyCorp’s Q2 estimate for AEP came in at $1.50 per share, while consensus full-year earnings remain around $6.35 per share; investors may be waiting for the company’s actual results next week to see whether it can meet or beat expectations. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed 0 shares short, so there is no meaningful bearish positioning signal from this report.
• Negative Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets issued a pessimistic outlook on AEP’s stock price, which may be tempering enthusiasm despite the broader bullish analyst tone. Article Title

American Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AEP opened at $135.54 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.75 billion, a PE ratio of 19.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $131.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $129.22. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $105.70 and a twelve month high of $140.58.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.07. The company 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.54 earnings per share. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.120-6.420 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.35 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be 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 is Monday, August 10th. American Electric Power's payout ratio is currently 55.80%.

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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