American Electric Power AEP announced that the board of directors has approved a 5.7% increase in the quarterly dividend rate. The revised quarterly dividend will be 93 cents, payable on Dec. 10, 2024, to shareholders of record at the close of the business on Nov. 8, 2024.
This is the 458th consecutive quarter that the company has paid out a cash dividend on its common shares. The company's history of paying out quarterly dividends for almost 115 years in a row shows its dedication to giving shareholders steady value.
AEP’s new annualized dividend rate is $3.72. The current dividend yield is 3.72%, better than the Zacks S&P 500 composite’s 1.22%.
Can American Electric Sustain Dividend Hikes?
American Electric now plans to invest $43 billion in core regulated operations, contracted renewables and wires between 2024 and 2028. Capital expenditures are expected to total $7.4 billion by 2024. The significant capital outlay should boost the company's infrastructure, increase operations and enable it to provide service to a wide customer base. This will result in more earnings and generate additional funds to pay dividends.
American Electric intends to invest $27.3 billion in its transmission and distribution sector between 2024 and 2028 to build a more efficient grid and provide customized energy solutions. Such investments will make AEP’s transmission and distribution lines more reliable and ensure a steady supply of power to customers even in extreme weather conditions.
The company has undertaken initiatives to enhance financial strength and improve the core business, which suggests that management will have sufficient funds to continue with its shareholder-friendly initiatives in the future.
Other Utility Companies’ Recent Dividend Hikes
Utilities, due to their domestic focus and rate-regulated operations, generate a stable income, which allows them to increase shareholder value through dividend payments and buybacks. The demand for utility services remains the same during different economic cycles, and utilities are often considered as bond substitutes due to their ability to distribute regular dividends. A few utilities among others have been mentioned below, who have decided to share more profits with their shareholders.
On Sept. 20, 2024, IDACORP, Inc. IDA announced that its board of directors approved a 3.6% hike in its quarterly dividend to 86 cents per share.
IDACORP boasts a long-term (three to five years) earnings growth rate of 5.5%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for IDA’s 2024 sales implies an improvement of 3.8% from the previous year’s level.
On Sept. 11, 2024, New Jersey Resources NJR announced that its board of directors approved a 7.1% hike in its quarterly dividend to 45 cents per share.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NJR’s fiscal fourth-quarter 2024 sales implies an improvement of 22.8% from the prior-year quarter figure. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NJR’s fiscal fourth-quarter 2024 earnings suggests an improvement of 196.7% from the prior-year quarter figure.
On June 13, 2024, National Fuel Gas Company NFG announced that its board of directors approved a 4% hike in its quarterly dividend to 51.5 cents per share.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NFG’s fiscal fourth-quarter 2024 sales implies an improvement of 30.8% from the prior-year quarter figure. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NFG’s fiscal fourth-quarter 2024 earnings suggests an improvement of 7.7% from the prior-year quarter figure.
AEP Stock Price Movement
In the past six months, AEP shares have rallied 15.7% compared with the industry’s growth of 14.9%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
AEP’s Zacks Rank
American Electric Power currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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