Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Raises Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management sharply increased its stake in American Electric Power, boosting holdings by 600.9% in Q4 to 381,169 shares valued at about $43.95 million.
• Insider selling continued at AEP, with EVP Phillip R. Ulrich and EVP Kelly J. Ferneau both trimming their positions in late February; insiders now own just 0.05% of the stock.
• AEP reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.64 and revenue of $6.02 billion, while also maintaining a quarterly dividend of $0.95 per share for a 3.0% annual yield.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 600.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 381,169 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 326,789 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned approximately 0.07% of American Electric Power worth $43,953,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AEP. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 141,141 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,275,000 after acquiring an additional 5,314 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 293,033 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,869,000 after acquiring an additional 8,302 shares during the last quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 462.1% in the 3rd quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 52,953 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,958,000 after acquiring an additional 43,533 shares during the last quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. now owns 114,224 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,171,000 after acquiring an additional 7,833 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 983.0% in the 4th quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 63,875 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,365,000 after acquiring an additional 57,977 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Electric Power news, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total transaction of $542,320.48. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,582,097.04. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value 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. The trade was a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Electric Power Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ AEP opened at $127.68 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $69.47 billion, a PE ratio of 18.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $100.72 and a 52-week high of $139.44. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $132.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $124.77.

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

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on AEP shares. Barclays increased their price objective on American Electric Power from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. UBS Group increased their price objective on American Electric Power from $132.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, March 9th. Seaport Research Partners upgraded American Electric Power from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Mizuho upped their target price on American Electric Power from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on American Electric Power from $137.00 to $136.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $141.57.

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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