First Trust Advisors LP Lowers Stock Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

First Trust Advisors LP cut its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,969,942 shares of the company’s stock after selling 69,326 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.37% of American Electric Power worth $204,401,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. Advantage Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 57.1% during the 2nd quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Montag A & Associates Inc. increased its position in American Electric Power by 166.0% during the second quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in American Electric Power during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Missouri Trust & Investment Co acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 277.1% during the 2nd quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 313 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Electric Power Trading Down 0.0%

NASDAQ:AEP opened at $118.04 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $63.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.61. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a one year low of $89.91 and a one year high of $124.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.69. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $118.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $111.09.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.81 by ($0.01). American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.00% and a net margin of 17.23%.The business had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 earnings per share. American Electric Power’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. American Electric Power has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.850-5.95 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. This is a positive change from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is currently 55.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Electric Power

In other news, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.65, for a total transaction of $543,250.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 40,898 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,443,567.70. This trade represents a 10.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,006 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total value of $112,672.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,676 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $635,712. This represents a 15.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 16,006 shares of company stock valued at $1,851,422. 0.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AEP has been the topic of several research reports. Cowen started coverage on American Electric Power in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on American Electric Power from $111.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. BMO Capital Markets set a $126.00 price objective on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $113.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $128.00 to $137.00 in a report on Monday, November 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.85.

American Electric Power Profile

American Electric Power Company, Inc, an electric public utility holding company, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity for sale to retail and wholesale customers in the United States. It operates through Vertically Integrated Utilities, Transmission and Distribution Utilities, AEP Transmission Holdco, and Generation & Marketing segments.