Stack Financial Management Inc Sells 5,055 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Stack Financial Management Inc decreased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 282,599 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,055 shares during the period. American Electric Power makes up about 2.5% of Stack Financial Management Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Stack Financial Management Inc’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $32,587,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 72.2% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the third quarter worth $26,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 330.2% during the third quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 228 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Optima Capital LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 7,300.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Trading Down 1.6%

AEP stock opened at $134.66 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $73.20 billion, a PE ratio of 20.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.56. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a one year low of $97.46 and a one year high of $138.49. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $132.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $123.83. 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) last posted its quarterly 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 the consensus estimate of $5.07 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 16.37% and a return on equity of 10.46%. The business’s revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.24 earnings per share. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.72%.

Insider Activity at American Electric Power

In related news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $177,602.46. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,025,798.60. The trade was a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 42,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,582,097.04. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AEP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $148.00 target price for the company. Wolfe Research upgraded 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 report on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $141.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $139.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.18.

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.