Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Purchases Shares of 376,550 American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 376,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,516,000. American Electric Power makes up 1.5% of Ceredex Value Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $978,000 after buying an additional 1,095 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 1st quarter valued at about $320,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 149.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $507,000 after acquiring an additional 2,931 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 2,505 shares of the company’s stock valued at $260,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AXA S.A. boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 95.7% during the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 79,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,209,000 after acquiring an additional 38,684 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Price Performance

AEP opened at $125.70 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.56, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $131.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $130.55. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $105.70 and a 12-month high of $140.58.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.12). American Electric Power had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 13.78%.The firm had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.43 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.250-6.550 EPS. Equities analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is presently 65.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AEP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH cut their price objective on American Electric Power from $148.00 to $143.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $148.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $141.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 15th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $141.00 to $139.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.38.

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.