American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Upgraded at UBS Group

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) was upgraded by UBS Group from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report issued on Friday,Finviz reports. The brokerage presently has a $132.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group’s price objective suggests a potential downside of 0.08% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $121.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $133.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $133.00 target price on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $137.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $132.53.

American Electric Power Stock Down 0.3%

American Electric Power stock opened at $132.10 on Friday. American Electric Power has a 52 week low of $97.46 and a 52 week high of $133.06. The stock has a market cap of $71.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.72, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.62. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $120.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $117.04. 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) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.04. American Electric Power had a net margin of 16.37% and a return on equity of 10.46%. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.07 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.24 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. On average, analysts expect that American Electric Power will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Electric Power

In other 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 25,898 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,980,082.86. This trade represents a 16.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $177,602.46. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,025,798.60. This represents a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. PFG Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 24,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,793,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in American Electric Power by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 638 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in American Electric Power by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,177 shares of the company’s stock valued at $251,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in American Electric Power by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,641 shares of the company’s stock worth $766,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vectors Research Management LLC increased its position in American Electric Power by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Vectors Research Management LLC now owns 23,439 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,703,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

About American Electric Power

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.