Fact based stock research
American Electric Power (NYSE:AEP)

US0255371017

How to read the free ranks

For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

American Electric Power stock research in summary

aep.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 74 (better than 74% compared with investment alternatives), American Electric Power (Electric Utilities, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of American Electric Power are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 55 (better than 55% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 100) but are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 16), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 74, is a buy recommendation based on American Electric Power's financial characteristics. As the company American Electric Power's key financial metrics exhibit excellent performance in two areas, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 55) and above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 100), it could be argued that the risk-taking in financing (Obermatt Safety Rank of only 16) indicates that the company is optimistic about the future and sees debt as an opportunity to boost returns. More debt means more shareholder returns if everything goes well. However, higher debt burdens are risky when interest rates rise or the business deteriorates in a crisis. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	55
Growth Rank	100
Safety Rank	16
Combined Rank	74

Country	USA
Industry	Electric Utilities
Index	Low Emissions, Diversity USA, Nuclear, Recycling, S&P 500
Size class	XX-Large

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

14-Nov-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

It’s easier said than done. When your stock drops, it’s easy to want to sell it and find a better performer. Think twice, or even three times, before trading. Those fees (especially the hidden ones) can eat up your gains.

Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: American Electric Power

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	33	55	57	55
GROWTH
GROWTH	27	33	63	100
SAFETY
SAFETY	9	22	22	16
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	69	43	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	41	36	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 14-Nov-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Jun-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better American Electric Power is in the corresponding investment strategy.
Upgrade to a Premium Account to access the latest ranks.

Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	33	55	57	55
GROWTH
GROWTH	27	33	63	100
SAFETY
SAFETY	9	22	22	16
COMBINED
COMBINED	6	24	46	74

Last update of combined financial performance: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of American Electric Power the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 55 (better than 55% compared with alternatives), American Electric Power shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for American Electric Power. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) is 61 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 61% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning American Electric Power's profit levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 40, which means that the stock price is lower as regards to invested capital than for 40% of comparable investments. On the other hand, Price-to-Sales is less favorable than 60% of alternatives (only 40% of peers have an even less favorable ratio). The same is valid for dividend yield, which is lower than 41% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive as regards to the company's expected dividend payouts. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 55, is a buy recommendation based on American Electric Power's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. This is a puzzling picture, because it means that profits are high while dividends are low. Since the stock price is low compared with invested capital but high in respect to expected revenues, it means that the company has more invested capital than peers for generating the same amount of revenue. Since profits are higher, it could be a "cash cow" situation (using the classic Boston Consulting BCG matrix naming convention) where the company is on a downward trend, still living from the profits of past products. As the company pays low dividends, it may harbor the opinion that a turnaround is possible, and it rather invests the cash than pay it out to shareholders, thus sealing the company's fate early. Any investment optimism should only be a buy trigger once thorough research is completed. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is especially important in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	36	46	40	40
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	58	65	66	61
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	38	41	51	40
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	54	61	61	59
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	33	55	57	55

Last update of Value Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of American Electric Power; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2024, American Electric Power shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators above average for American Electric Power. Sales Growth has a value of 64, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 64% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth with a value of 81 and for Capital Growth with 95. In addition, Stock Returns had an above-average rank value of 69, which means they have been higher than 69% of comparable investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 100, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Since all Growth Ranks are positive, American Electric Power exhibits above-average growth momentum. This could be due to a uniquely strong market position, proprietary technology, or an extensive corporate acquisition strategy. Growth investors will find this an attractive investment opportunity, unless they expect that the current phase is transitory and will deteriorate in the future. The current performance could also be a temporary recovery from a very low point, such as a turn-around situation. In the case of a turn-around, the current performance may or may not be followed by a continuing positive development. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	39	61	73	64
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	1	48	54	81
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	8	74	95
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	21	51	33	69
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	27	33	63	100

Last update of Growth Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of American Electric Power.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 16 (better than 16% compared with alternatives), the company American Electric Power has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of American Electric Power is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with all three metrics below average for American Electric Power. Liquidity is at 31, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 69% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side when it comes to debt service. Even worse, Leverage is at a rank of 26, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 74% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 24 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 76% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 16 (worse than 84% compared with alternatives), American Electric Power has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. This combination is rather dangerous in most situations. Only very promising companies with bright future outlooks and stellar reputations can operate with such risky financing. Investors should look at Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks to confirm a very positive outlook or be careful with investing in stocks of American Electric Power because it may suffer significantly in case of future difficulties. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	24	18	18	26
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	26	28	24	24
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	24	57	63	31
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	9	22	22	16

Last update of Safety Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of American Electric Power and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	63	64	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	50	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	87	69	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	30	18	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	69	43	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for American Electric Power.
Upgrade to a Premium Account to access the latest ranks.