American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP Shares Acquired by Verdence Capital Advisors LLC

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 49.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 23,865 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,892 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $2,778,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,601 shares of the company’s stock worth $978,000 after purchasing an additional 1,095 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the first quarter valued at $320,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in American Electric Power by 149.5% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $507,000 after purchasing an additional 2,931 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 10.4% during the 2nd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 11,985 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,244,000 after buying an additional 1,129 shares during the period. Finally, Diversified Trust Co raised its position in shares of American Electric Power by 17.9% during the second quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 7,955 shares of the company’s stock valued at $825,000 after buying an additional 1,208 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Electric Power Stock Up 0.5%

American Electric Power stock opened at $119.96 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $117.88 and a 200 day moving average of $114.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $64.07 billion, a PE ratio of 17.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.63. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a one year low of $96.80 and a one year high of $124.80.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by ($0.01). American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.00% and a net margin of 17.23%.The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.65 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. American Electric Power has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.850-5.95 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. This is a positive change from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is currently 55.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Electric Power

In other American Electric Power news, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.07, for a total value of $575,350.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,980,082.86. This trade represents a 16.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on AEP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $121.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price target on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Barclays raised their price objective on American Electric Power from $111.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $108.50 to $124.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.13.

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.