ProShare Advisors LLC Buys 257,904 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Key Points

• ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 38.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 257,904 additional shares to bring its total holding to 934,734 shares worth about $107.8 million.
• Several other institutional investors also increased their positions, and 75.24% of AEP shares are now held by institutions, highlighting strong professional ownership in the stock.
• AEP reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.64 versus the $1.57 estimate and revenue of $6.02 billion topping forecasts, while also announcing a $0.95 quarterly dividend payable June 10.

ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 38.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 934,734 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 257,904 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.18% of American Electric Power worth $107,784,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AEP. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 105.6% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,379,342 shares of the company's stock valued at $595,243,000 after acquiring an additional 2,763,328 shares during the period. Soroban Capital Partners LP raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 176.3% during the second quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 4,004,686 shares of the company's stock valued at $415,526,000 after acquiring an additional 2,555,415 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 357.5% during 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 acquiring an additional 1,529,662 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 118.2% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,585,605 shares of the company's stock valued at $286,692,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400,547 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 26.8% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,084,813 shares of the company's stock valued at $684,772,000 after acquiring an additional 1,285,279 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on AEP shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised American Electric Power from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $148.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Barclays raised their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on American Electric Power from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Seaport Research Partners raised American Electric Power from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on American Electric Power from $132.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, March 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $141.57.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 trade represents a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 42,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,582,097.04. This represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.05% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of AEP stock opened at $128.92 on Wednesday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $100.72 and a 12-month high of $139.44. 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's 50-day moving average price is $132.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $124.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.56.

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, topping 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 analysts' expectations of $5.72 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.54 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.120-6.420 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. American Electric Power's payout ratio is 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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