American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says
by Teresa Graham · The Cerbat GemAmerican Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP – Get Free Report) had its target price increased by Morgan Stanley from $133.00 to $137.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 9.02% from the stock’s previous close.
AEP has been the subject of several other research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Electric Power from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $133.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Evercore upped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $137.00 to $153.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $121.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of American Electric Power from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $136.10.
Read Our Latest Analysis on American Electric Power
American Electric Power Stock Performance
NASDAQ AEP opened at $125.66 on Friday. American Electric Power has a fifty-two week low of $97.46 and a fifty-two week high of $135.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.61. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $125.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $119.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.45.
American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.07 billion. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.46% and a net margin of 16.37%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.24 earnings per share. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that American Electric Power will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other American Electric Power news, 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,025,798.60. The trade was a 8.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total transaction of $542,320.48. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,582,097.04. This represents a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. PFG Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,177 shares of the company’s stock valued at $251,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. KCM Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,641 shares of the company’s stock worth $766,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, Vectors Research Management LLC lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vectors Research Management LLC now owns 23,439 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,703,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
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.