Lazard Asset Management LLC Increases Stock Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Key Points

• Lazard Asset Management increased its AEP stake by 81.9% in the first quarter, holding 707,010 shares valued at approximately $92.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 75.24% of the utility’s stock.
• American Electric Power exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.64 in EPS and $6.02 billion in revenue, with revenue up 10.2% year over year. The company guided to fiscal 2026 EPS of $6.12–$6.42.
• AEP declared a quarterly dividend of $0.95 per share, equivalent to a 2.8% annualized yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $141.71.

Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 81.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 707,010 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 318,412 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned 0.13% of American Electric Power worth $92,675,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in American Electric Power by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 52,496,895 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,053,417,000 after buying an additional 828,588 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 30,437,776 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,509,780,000 after acquiring an additional 1,514,865 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 14,661,858 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,690,659,000 after acquiring an additional 271,879 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,823,744 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,587,841,000 after acquiring an additional 83,285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of American Electric Power by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 10,626,841 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,225,381,000 after acquiring an additional 57,807 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AEP opened at $133.59 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $131.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $129.46. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $105.70 and a 1-year high of $140.58. The firm has a market cap of $72.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.52.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.72 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.54 earnings per share. The business'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. 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 company 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on AEP. Citigroup lifted their price target on American Electric Power from $132.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. TD Cowen raised their target price on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $144.00 target price on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $147.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Seaport Research Partners upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $141.71.

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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