American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Barclays Analyst Says

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) had its target price raised by equities researchers at Barclays from $121.00 to $128.00 in a report issued on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Barclays‘s price target would suggest a potential downside of 1.49% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Williams Trading set a $137.00 price objective on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $121.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $123.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on American Electric Power from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $129.28.

American Electric Power Trading Up 2.8%

Shares of AEP opened at $129.94 on Friday. American Electric Power has a twelve month low of $97.46 and a twelve month high of $130.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.39, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.62. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $117.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $115.95.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The business 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 10.65% and a net margin of 16.37%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.24 earnings per share. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that American Electric Power will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at American Electric Power

In related news, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.07, for a total transaction of $575,350.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,898 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,980,082.86. The trade was a 16.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of American Electric Power

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AEP. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 52,496,895 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,053,417,000 after buying an additional 828,588 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of American Electric Power by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 30,437,776 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,509,780,000 after acquiring an additional 1,514,865 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 14,661,858 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,690,659,000 after acquiring an additional 271,879 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of American Electric Power by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,823,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,587,841,000 after acquiring an additional 83,285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in American Electric Power by 5.9% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,802,211 shares of the company’s stock worth $809,557,000 after purchasing an additional 432,441 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Key American Electric Power News

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

• Positive Sentiment: AEP beat Q4 EPS and revenue estimates, reaffirmed FY2026 operating EPS guidance of $6.15–$6.45 and reiterated 7%–9% long?term earnings growth — supports the rally. AEP Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: AEP said contracted large?load pipeline doubled to 56 GW (data centers) by 2030 — a major demand catalyst that underpins higher transmission/distribution investment and revenue visibility. AEP contracted large load pipeline doubles to 56 GW
• Positive Sentiment: Company expanded its five?year capital plan (> $72B) and identified $5B–$8B of incremental investment opportunities to meet surging electricity demand — suggests sustained higher capex and regulated rate base growth. AEP expands spending plan, beats profit estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $141 and maintained a Buy rating, giving additional analyst support for upside. Goldman Sachs adjusts price target on American Electric Power to $141
• Neutral Sentiment: Mizuho nudged its target to $130 with a Neutral rating — less bullish than Goldman, so not a major directional driver. AEP price target raised at Mizuho
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple analyst writeups and presentations highlight data centers as a multi?year catalyst; useful context but mostly reiterative analysis. Seeking Alpha: Data Centers Are A Catalyst
• Neutral Sentiment: Short?interest notes in some feeds show odd/zero values (likely reporting artifacts) and are not a reliable driver of today’s move.
• Negative Sentiment: TipRanks flagged a new risk about trade?policy and geopolitical shifts that could raise procurement costs and pressure cash flows over time — a longer?term risk to margins and capital program costs. TipRanks: Trade Policy Shifts and Geopolitical Risks Threaten AEP

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.