Ninety One UK Ltd Takes $4.60 Million Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Key Points

• Ninety One UK Ltd established a new stake in American Electric Power, buying 39,893 shares worth approximately $4.6 million in Q4, amid heavy institutional accumulation (75.24% of shares held by institutions and several large funds materially increasing positions).
• AEP topped quarterly estimates with $1.19 EPS and $5.32 billion revenue, issued FY2026 guidance of 6.150–6.450 EPS, and carries a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $136.81 (shares trading around $133.66, P/E ~19.95).
• Insiders reduced holdings recently—EVPs Phillip R. Ulrich and Kelly J. Ferneau sold 4,106 and 1,351 shares respectively—and the company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.95 ($3.80 annualized, ~2.8% yield, payout ratio ~56.7%).

Ninety One UK Ltd purchased a new stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 39,893 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,600,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AEP. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 2,763,328 shares in the last quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP grew its position in shares of 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 valued at $415,526,000 after purchasing an additional 2,555,415 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of 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 valued at $225,718,000 after purchasing an additional 1,529,662 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of 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 valued at $286,692,000 after purchasing an additional 1,400,547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of American Electric Power by 26.8% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,084,813 shares of the company's stock valued at $684,772,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285,279 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total value of $542,320.48. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 42,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,582,097.04. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $177,602.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,410 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,025,798.60. This represents a 8.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AEP has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wolfe Research upgraded American Electric Power from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $142.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on American Electric Power from $137.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Evercore lifted their price objective on American Electric Power from $137.00 to $153.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $136.81.

American Electric Power Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of AEP stock opened at $133.66 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $131.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $122.63. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $97.46 and a 12-month high of $137.74. The firm has a market cap of $72.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.58.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.07 billion. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.46% and a net margin of 16.37%.The company's revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.24 earnings per share. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

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

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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