Truist Financial Corp Cuts Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Key Points

• Truist trimmed its stake in American Electric Power by 8.8% in Q4, selling 26,430 shares and ending the quarter with 273,212 shares valued at about $31.5 million (≈0.05% of the company).
• American Electric Power reported Q1 EPS of $1.64 (beating estimates), raised its five‑year capital plan to $78 billion and now expects operating‑EPS CAGR of >9% through 2030, though the bigger capex program raises execution, financing and regulatory recovery risks.
• Institutional ownership is high (75.24%), and several large investors — including Victory Capital, Soroban, Assenagon, AQR and Ameriprise — meaningfully increased their AEP positions in recent quarters.

Truist Financial Corp decreased its holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 8.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 273,212 shares of the company's stock after selling 26,430 shares during the quarter. Truist Financial Corp owned about 0.05% of American Electric Power worth $31,504,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 105.6% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 176.3% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 357.5% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 118.2% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased 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 buying an additional 1,285,279 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power News Summary

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

American Electric Power Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of AEP stock opened at $137.04 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a market cap of $74.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.56. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $97.46 and a fifty-two week high of $139.44. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $132.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $123.96.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates of $5.72 billion. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.46% and a net margin of 16.37%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.54 earnings per share. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.120-6.420 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.72%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total transaction of $177,602.46. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 15,410 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total value of $542,320.48. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,582,097.04. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on AEP shares. Seaport Research Partners upgraded 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. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded American Electric Power from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $148.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Raymond James Financial raised their price target on American Electric Power from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $138.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded American Electric Power from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $138.18.

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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