Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Purchases 64,615 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 40.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 224,106 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 64,615 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $25,842,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Czech National Bank boosted its position in American Electric Power by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 141,141 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,275,000 after purchasing an additional 5,314 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI boosted its position in American Electric Power by 462.1% during the third quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 52,953 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,958,000 after purchasing an additional 43,533 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in American Electric Power by 228.6% during the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 51,659 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,812,000 after purchasing an additional 35,938 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted its position in American Electric Power by 807.5% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 263,751 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,672,000 after purchasing an additional 234,689 shares during the period. Finally, Community Financial Services Group LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the third quarter worth approximately $4,379,000. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting American Electric Power this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $144 and maintains an “overweight” view, citing expected price appreciation for AEP. This follow-up optimism has been highlighted in coverage pushing investor interest. Wells Fargo raises PT to $144
• Positive Sentiment: Truist initiated coverage with a “buy” and a $148 target, the most bullish of the recent notes, which supports continued upside narrative for the stock. Truist initiates buy with $148 PT
• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James raised its target to $143 and kept an “outperform” rating, signaling confidence in AEP’s earnings trajectory and regulated transmission investments. Raymond James raises PT to $143
• Positive Sentiment: Seaport Global upgraded AEP, adding to the cluster of broker upgrades that is lifting investor sentiment around regulated cash flows and grid investments. Seaport Global upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage and commentary pieces are spotlighting AEP as a beneficiary of power-grid momentum in the Nasdaq Composite, drawing additional visibility from sector rotation into utilities. Power Grid Momentum: AEP Gains Spotlight
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target slightly to $136 from $137 while keeping an “overweight” rating — a modest adjustment that slightly offsets some of the bullish headlines but leaves the overall recommendation intact. Morgan Stanley trims PT to $136

American Electric Power Stock Down 1.0%

AEP opened at $131.89 on Wednesday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $97.46 and a 1-year high of $137.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a 50 day moving average of $131.56 and a 200-day moving average of $122.96.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.04. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.46% and a net margin of 16.37%.The company had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.24 earnings per share. American Electric Power’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AEP. Truist Financial began coverage on American Electric Power in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $148.00 target price for the company. Mizuho upped their target price on American Electric Power from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen cut American Electric Power from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners raised American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.32.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $177,602.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,410 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total value of $542,320.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 42,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,582,097.04. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power 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.