Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Takes Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 23,554 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,650,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. PFG Investments LLC raised its stake in American Electric Power by 0.3% in the third quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 24,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,793,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in American Electric Power by 0.3% in the third quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 26,605 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,993,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 16.2% during the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 632 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 12.7% during the second quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 791 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 6.8% during the third quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 1,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of AEP stock opened at $132.31 on Wednesday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $97.46 and a 52-week high of $134.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The stock has a market cap of $71.84 billion, a PE ratio of 19.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.61. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $123.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $118.23.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.07 billion. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.46% and a net margin of 16.37%.American Electric Power’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.24 earnings per share. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.72%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total transaction of $542,320.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 42,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,582,097.04. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total transaction of $177,602.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president 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. Insiders sold a total of 10,457 shares of company stock valued at $1,295,273 in the last three months. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on AEP. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $121.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $121.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Siebert Williams Shank assumed coverage on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Thursday, December 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $137.00 price target for the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $148.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.24.

American Electric Power Company 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.