<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; from the twenty-two research firms that are currently  covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one  has issued  a strong buy rating on  the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $141.5714.</p><ul><li>2 Dividend Stocks Insulated From Middle East Conflict</li></ul><p>AEP has been the topic of several research reports. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a &#34;sector perform&#34; rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised American Electric Power from a &#34;neutral&#34; rating to a &#34;buy&#34; rating and set a $148.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Citigroup raised their target price on American Electric Power from $132.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a &#34;neutral&#34; rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings  reissued a &#34;buy (b)&#34; rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Argus raised their target price on American Electric Power from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd.</p><p><b>Get Our Latest Report on American Electric Power</b></p><h2>American Electric Power Trading Up 1.0%</h2><ul><li>AI Power Crunch: Why Bloom Energy Is the Hidden Winner</li></ul><p>Shares of AEP stock opened at $128.92 on Wednesday. American Electric Power has a 12-month low of $100.72 and a 12-month high of $139.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm's 50 day moving average is $132.10 and its 200 day moving average is $124.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.56. </p><p>American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.07. American Electric Power had a net margin of 16.29% and a return on equity of 10.21%. The company had revenue of $6.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.54 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.120-6.420 EPS.  Research analysts expect that  American Electric Power will post 6.35 earnings per share for the current year. </p><h2>American Electric Power Announces Dividend</h2><ul><li>AI Needs Power Now—Bloom Energy and American Electric Power Deliver</li></ul><p>The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.80%. </p><h2>Insider Buying and Selling at American Electric Power</h2><p>In other 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 transaction of $177,602.46. Following the transaction, 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. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total value of $542,320.48. Following 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own  0.05% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Institutional Inflows and Outflows</h2><p>Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in  American Electric Power by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,601 shares of the company's stock worth $978,000 after buying an additional 1,095 shares during the period.  Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in  American Electric Power in the 1st quarter worth approximately $320,000.  Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in  American Electric Power by 149.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,891 shares of the company's stock worth $507,000 after purchasing an additional 2,931 shares in the last quarter.  Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its stake in  American Electric Power by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 2,505 shares of the company's stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter.  Finally, AXA S.A. lifted its stake in  American Electric Power by 95.7% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 79,111 shares of the company's stock worth $8,209,000 after purchasing an additional 38,684 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. </p><h2>American Electric Power Company Profile</h2> (Get Free Report)<p>American Electric Power <span>NASDAQ: AEP<span></span></span> 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.  </p><p>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.</p><h2>Featured Stories</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than American Electric Power</li><li>HIVE Weaponizes Power for an AI Pivot</li><li>A Deep Dive Into NVIDIA’s Latest Portfolio Moves</li><li>Brady Corp Wires Up a Massive AI-Powered Breakout</li><li>Why Home Depot’s Sell-Off Could Become a Huge Opportunity</li></ul><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/RatingsChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9QUVQ?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="600" height="385" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/RatingsChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9QUVQ"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in American Electric Power Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider American Electric Power, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and American Electric Power wasn't on the list.</p><p>While American Electric Power currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) has received a consensus rating of 'Moderate Buy' from 22 research firms. Analysts have set an average target price of $141.57, with nine holding, twelve buying, and one strongly buying the stock. The company reported $1.64 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.95 per share. AEP's stock opened at $128.92, with a market cap of $70.15 billion.</p>

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American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages