American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Rating Lowered to Sell at Wall Street Zen
by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets DailyAmerican Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP – Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.
Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Bank of America lowered shares of American Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $131.00 to $122.00 in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $132.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, March 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $133.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $136.81.
American Electric Power Price Performance
American Electric Power stock opened at $133.66 on Friday. American Electric Power has a 1-year low of $97.46 and a 1-year high of $137.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $131.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $122.70. 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 – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $5.07 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.24 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that American Electric Power will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Insider Activity
In other news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at $2,025,798.60. This represents a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 42,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,582,097.04. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Trading of American Electric Power
A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cidel Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 17.3% during the first quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,165 shares of the company’s stock worth $546,000 after buying an additional 615 shares during the last quarter. Investment Advisory Services Inc. TX ADV increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 3.9% during the first quarter. Investment Advisory Services Inc. TX ADV now owns 2,804 shares of the company’s stock worth $368,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in American Electric Power during the first quarter worth about $260,000. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 4.5% during the first quarter. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. now owns 8,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,058,000 after buying an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AGP Franklin LLC purchased a new stake in American Electric Power during the first quarter worth about $1,279,000. Hedge funds and other 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.