Fifth Third Bancorp Raises Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 249,481 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,657 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $28,768,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. PFG Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 24,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,793,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 26,605 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,993,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 632 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA raised its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 1,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trueblood Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,937 shares of the company’s stock worth $800,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Electric Power

In other news, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 42,263 shares in the company, valued at $5,582,097.04. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the firm’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 sale, the executive vice president owned 15,410 shares in the company, valued at $2,025,798.60. This trade represents a 8.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

American Electric Power Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of AEP stock opened at $136.91 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $132.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $123.74. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $97.46 and a twelve month high of $138.49. The company has a market capitalization of $74.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.43, a PEG ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 16.37% and a return on equity of 10.46%. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.24 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. Research analysts forecast 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AEP. Wall Street Zen raised American Electric Power from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 26th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Argus increased their target price on American Electric Power from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on American Electric Power from $141.00 to $138.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on American Electric Power from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. One 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.18.

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.