American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Upgraded at LADENBURG THALM/SH SH

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) was upgraded by LADENBURG THALM/SH SH from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a $148.00 price target on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH’s target price indicates a potential upside of 12.19% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Siebert Williams Shank initiated coverage on American Electric Power in a report on Thursday, December 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $137.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised American Electric Power from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday. Bank of America cut American Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $131.00 to $122.00 in a report on Monday, January 12th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $137.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $121.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.33.

American Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AEP opened at $131.92 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $71.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.61. American Electric Power has a 1-year low of $97.46 and a 1-year high of $134.60. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $121.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $117.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.33.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 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 firm had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.07 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.24 EPS. The company’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. Research analysts expect that American Electric Power will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Electric Power news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $5,582,097.04. This represents a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 10,457 shares of company stock valued at $1,295,273 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of American Electric Power

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Activest Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 72.2% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 330.2% during the 3rd quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 228 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optima Capital LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Institutional investors 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.