ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Buys 13,450 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Key Points

• ZWJ Investment Counsel increased its AEP stake by 3.4% in the third quarter, purchasing 13,450 shares and bringing its holdings to 406,156 shares valued at approximately $48.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 75.24% of AEP.
• AEP’s growth outlook is supported by a reported 56-gigawatt demand pipeline, a planned $4 billion Wyoming fuel-cell project tied to a 20-year Google agreement, and potential federal funding of up to $3.26 billion for Texas grid modernization.
• Shares opened at $126.13, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $138.91. AEP recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.95 per share, implying a 3.0% yield.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 406,156 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,450 shares during the quarter. American Electric Power comprises about 1.4% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. owned 0.07% of American Electric Power worth $48,186,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AEP. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 118.0% during the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 194 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC boosted its position in American Electric Power by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 200 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new position in American Electric Power in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Premier Financial Group acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Kate Dixon sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total value of $250,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 15,856 shares in the company, valued at $1,982,000. This trade represents a 11.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

American Electric Power News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Google signs 20-year power agreement: AEP plans to invest approximately $4 billion in a 702-megawatt Wyoming fuel-cell project under a long-term power purchase agreement with Google. The contract provides a large, committed customer for the project and improves visibility into future cash flows. Google signs 20-year PPA with AEP for 702MW Wyoming fuel cell project
• Positive Sentiment: Large demand pipeline could drive earnings: Analysts and bullish investors point to AEP’s reported 56-gigawatt demand pipeline, particularly from data centers, as a potential source of multi-year rate-base and earnings growth. AEP demand pipeline analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Additional generation capacity: AEP reached an agreement with Mainspring Energy for up to 1.6 gigawatts of mobile generation capacity. The units could help AEP bring power online faster to serve customers while longer-term infrastructure is developed. Mainspring Energy agreement with AEP
• Positive Sentiment: Federal grid support: AEP may secure up to $3.26 billion in federal funding to modernize its Texas grid, potentially reducing the burden of infrastructure investment and supporting regulated-utility growth. AEP Texas grid funding
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: KeyBanc upgraded AEP to Overweight from Sector Weight, adding to the favorable view of the company’s demand outlook. KeyBanc upgrades AEP

American Electric Power Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ AEP opened at $126.13 on Thursday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $122.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $128.67. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $112.54 and a fifty-two week high of $140.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 0.50 and a quick ratio of 0.38.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.12). American Electric Power had a net margin of 13.78% and a return on equity of 9.95%. The business had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.34 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.43 earnings per share. American Electric Power's revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.250-6.550 EPS. On average, analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.38 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AEP. Barclays dropped their target price on American Electric Power from $129.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Scotiabank cut their price target on American Electric Power from $140.00 to $131.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. KeyCorp upgraded American Electric Power from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $133.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lowered their price objective on American Electric Power from $148.00 to $143.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.91.

American Electric Power Profile

American Electric Power NASDAQ: AEP is a regulated electric utility holding company that generates, transmits and distributes electricity to residential, commercial, industrial and other customers. Through its operating companies, AEP owns and manages a diverse portfolio of power plants, electric distribution systems and one of the largest transmission networks in the United States.

AEP serves customers across parts of 11 states, including Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

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