QRG Capital Management Inc. Raises Stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 11.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 127,147 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,847 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $14,661,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in 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 worth $595,243,000 after acquiring an additional 2,763,328 shares during the last quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP lifted its stake in 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 worth $415,526,000 after acquiring an additional 2,555,415 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in 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 worth $225,718,000 after acquiring an additional 1,529,662 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in 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 worth $286,692,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400,547 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in American Electric Power by 26.8% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,084,813 shares of the company's stock worth $684,772,000 after acquiring an additional 1,285,279 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting American Electric Power

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and revenue acceleration — AEP reported operating EPS of $1.64 vs. consensus ~ $1.55 and revenue of ~$6.02B (up ~10% y/y), driven by higher load and disciplined expense management; that beat is the primary near-term catalyst for the stock. American Electric's Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Increase Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Raised five‑year capital plan to $78B and expanding contracted load — Management increased its capex plan and said signed customer deals expand future load to ~63 GW by 2030, lifting the company’s expected operating‑earnings CAGR and signaling durable growth from data centers and industrial customers. AEP raises capital plan to $78 billion, beats profit estimates on data center demand
• Positive Sentiment: Guidance reaffirmed and upgrades to multi‑year growth profile — AEP reaffirmed FY2026 operating EPS guidance and said the new capital additions raise expected operating EPS CAGR to >9% through 2030, supporting a longer-term growth narrative. AEP Reports First-Quarter 2026 Earnings, Reaffirms Guidance and Increases Five-Year Capital Plan
• Neutral Sentiment: FY2026 range vs. street expectations — AEP set FY2026 operating EPS guidance at 6.120–6.420; that range includes consensus (~6.36) but the midpoint is only roughly in line with sell‑side estimates, so analysts will parse slides/earnings call for drivers and timing. Compared to Estimates, AEP (AEP) Q1 Earnings: A Look at Key Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: Conference materials available — Management posted the press release and slide deck; investors will watch the earnings call for details on contract structure, timing of projects and offsetting customer credits. AEP Press Release / Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Higher capex and execution/financing risk — The $78B plan (with potential >$10B more) increases funding needs and execution risk; investors will watch leverage, regulatory recovery timelines and returns on the incremental projects. American Electric Power: Growth Is Happening Even Faster Than Expected

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on AEP shares. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $137.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of American Electric Power from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $148.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.18.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $177,602.46. Following the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total transaction of $542,320.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 42,263 shares in the company, valued at $5,582,097.04. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.05% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power Stock Up 1.8%

AEP stock opened at $137.04 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day moving average is $132.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $123.96. The stock has a market cap of $74.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.45, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.56. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $97.46 and a twelve month high of $139.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.72 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 16.37% and a return on equity of 10.46%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.54 EPS. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.120-6.420 EPS. Research analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. American Electric Power's payout ratio is presently 56.72%.

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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