American Electric Power (AEP) Stock Forecast & Price Target

$120.00 -1.62 (-1.33%)

Closing price 09/18/2026 04:00 PM Eastern

Extended Trading

$120.56 +0.56 (+0.46%)

As of 09/18/2026 07:52 PM Eastern

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American Electric Power - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Moderate Buy

Based on 22 Analyst Ratings

Sell
0

Hold
9

Buy
13

Based on 22 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for American Electric Power in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy." Out of the 22 analysts, 9 have given a hold rating, and 13 have given a buy rating for AEP.

Consensus Price Target

$139.86
16.55% Upside

According to the 22 analysts' twelve-month price targets for American Electric Power, the average price target is $139.86. The highest price target for AEP is $154.00, while the lowest price target for AEP is $122.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 16.55% from the current price of $120.00.

MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.

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AEP Analyst Ratings Over Time

Type	Current Forecast 9/19/25 to 9/19/26	1 Month Ago 8/20/25 to 8/20/26	3 Months Ago 6/21/25 to 6/21/26	1 Year Ago 9/19/24 to 9/19/25
Strong Buy	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy	13 Buy rating(s)	13 Buy rating(s)	13 Buy rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)
Hold	9 Hold rating(s)	9 Hold rating(s)	9 Hold rating(s)	9 Hold rating(s)
Sell	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target	$139.86	$140.38	$140.86	$111.50
Forecasted Upside	16.55% Upside	11.68% Upside	10.27% Upside	4.15% Upside
Consensus Rating	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy	Hold

AEP Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.

AEP Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.

American Electric Power Stock vs. The Competition

Type	American Electric Power	Utilities Companies	Broader Market
Consensus Rating Score	2.59	2.37	2.53
Consensus Rating	Moderate Buy	Hold	Moderate Buy
Predicted Upside	16.55% Upside	66.68% Upside	18.42% Upside
News Sentiment Rating	Positive News See Recent AEP News	Positive News	Positive News

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

Rating

Upside/Downside

Action

Time Frame

Start Date

End Date

Show

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Date	Brokerage	Analyst	Action	Rating	Price Target	Report Date Upside/Downside
9/18/2026	Morgan Stanley 3 of 5 stars	Stephen Byrd 5 of 5 stars	Lower Target	Overweight	$135.00 ➝ $128.00	+5.75%
9/9/2026	TD Cowen 3 of 5 stars	Shelby Tucker Not Rated	Reiterated Rating	Buy
8/27/2026	Weiss Ratings 5 of 5 stars		Reiterated Rating	Buy (B)
8/17/2026	Truist Financial Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Richard Sunderland Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Buy	$146.00 ➝ $139.00	+10.67%
8/5/2026	Citigroup Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Ryan Levine Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Neutral	$148.00 ➝ $142.00	+12.47%
8/3/2026	Barclays Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Nicholas Campanella Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Equal Weight	$138.00 ➝ $129.00	+0.90%
7/31/2026	Mizuho Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Anthony Crowdell Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Neutral	$141.00 ➝ $135.00	+4.87%
7/22/2026	BMO Capital Markets Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	James Thalacker Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Market Perform	$141.00 ➝ $139.00	+4.52%
7/1/2026	Jefferies Financial Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Buy	$147.00 ➝ $154.00	+12.88%
6/18/2026	LADENBURG THALM/SH SH Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Paul Fremont Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Buy	$148.00 ➝ $143.00	+11.36%
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5/15/2026	JPMorgan Chase & Co. Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Jeremy Tonet Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Neutral	$141.00 ➝ $140.00	+10.73%
5/8/2026	Raymond James Financial Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Outperform	$144.00	+9.57%
5/6/2026	Scotiabank Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Andrew Weisel Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Sector Perform	$131.00 ➝ $140.00	+2.16%
5/6/2026	Wells Fargo & Company Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Shahriar Pourreza Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Overweight	$144.00 ➝ $148.00	+10.36%
4/15/2026	The Goldman Sachs Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Buy	$141.00 ➝ $142.00	+5.42%
3/9/2026	UBS Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	William Appicelli Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target		$132.00 ➝ $135.00	+2.37%
3/5/2026	Evercore Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Nicholas Amicucci Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Outperform	$137.00 ➝ $153.00	+14.59%
3/2/2026	Argus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Buy	$128.00 ➝ $140.00	+4.62%
2/13/2026	Wolfe Research Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Steve Fleishman Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Peer Perform ➝ Outperform	$142.00	+12.32%
1/12/2026	Bank of America Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Ross Fowler Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Downgrade	Buy ➝ Neutral	$131.00 ➝ $122.00	+4.35%
12/18/2025	Williams Trading Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Christopher Ellinghaus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Set Target		$137.00	+18.52%
12/18/2025	Siebert Williams Shank Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Initiated Coverage	Buy	$137.00	+18.59%
10/21/2025	BTIG Research Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Initiated Coverage	Neutral
5/7/2025	Guggenheim Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	S. Pourreza Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Buy	$109.00 ➝ $115.00	+7.46%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Saturday at 03:47 AM ET.

Should I Buy American Electric Power Stock? AEP Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Thursday, September 17, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these American Electric Power pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

American Electric Power
Bull Case

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in American Electric Power Company, Inc.:

The stock is currently trading at $121.62, which is significantly below the consensus price target of $140.19 set by analysts, suggesting potential for substantial upside if the market revalues the company closer to its estimated fair value.
With a dividend yield of 3.15% and a recent quarterly payout of $0.95 per share, the company offers a reliable income stream that is attractive to investors seeking steady cash flow, supported by a payout ratio of 65.18% which indicates the dividend is sustainable relative to earnings.
The company demonstrated strong revenue growth of 7.0% year-over-year in its most recent quarter, generating $5.45 billion in revenue, which exceeded analyst expectations of $5.34 billion and indicates robust demand for its utility services.
As a defensive utility stock with a low beta of 0.51, American Electric Power Company, Inc. tends to be less volatile than the broader market, making it a suitable hedge for portfolios looking to reduce overall risk exposure during periods of market uncertainty.
Recent institutional activity, including new positions opened by major firms like BlackRock and Bank of America, signals strong confidence from large investors, with hedge funds and institutional investors collectively owning 75.24% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power
Bear Case

Investors should be bearish about investing in American Electric Power Company, Inc. for these reasons:

The company missed its earnings per share expectations in the most recent quarter, reporting $1.36 EPS against a consensus estimate of $1.48, which may raise concerns about its ability to meet profit targets despite revenue growth.
Insider selling activity has been notable recently, with Chief Accounting Officer Kate Dixon selling 2,000 shares in September and other executives like Phillip R Ulrich and Kelly J Ferneau also reducing their positions in early 2026, which can be interpreted as a lack of confidence from those closest to the company.
The company carries a high debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, indicating a significant level of leverage that could pressure financial flexibility and increase risk if interest rates remain elevated or if earnings growth slows.
Short interest has increased recently, with shares shorted rising to 24.3 million as of August 31, 2026, up from 23.3 million in the previous month, suggesting that a growing number of traders are betting against the stock's future performance.
Several major analysts have recently lowered their price targets, including Citigroup cutting its target from $148.00 to $142.00 and Mizuho reducing its target from $141.00 to $135.00, reflecting a more cautious outlook on the company's valuation and growth prospects.

AEP Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 22 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for American Electric Power is $139.86, with a high forecast of $154.00 and a low forecast of $122.00.

22 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for American Electric Power in the last twelve months. There are currently 9 hold ratings and 13 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street research analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" AEP shares.

According to analysts, American Electric Power's stock has a predicted upside of 16.55% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

American Electric Power has been rated by research analysts at Barclays, BMO Capital Markets, Citigroup, Jefferies Financial Group, Mizuho, Morgan Stanley, TD Cowen, Truist Financial, and Weiss Ratings in the past 90 days.

Analysts like American Electric Power more than other "utilities" companies. The consensus rating for American Electric Power is Moderate Buy while the average consensus rating for "utilities" companies is Hold. Learn more on how AEP compares to other companies.

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MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for American Electric Power analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 9/18/2026.

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American Electric Power (AEP) Stock Forecast & Price Target