8 Most Profitable Utility Stocks to Buy Right Now

4. American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

TTM Net Income as of December 30: $3.66 billion

TTM Net Income Margin as of December 30: 17.23%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 56

American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) is among the Most Profitable Stocks.

As reported by TheFly, Siebert Williams started covering American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) on December 18, 2025, with a $137 price target and a buy rating. As per analyst Christopher Ellinghaus, a compound annual EPS growth rate of 8.8% through 2030 is anticipated, with a retail power load increase of almost 9% and rate base growth of nearly 10% driving earnings growth over the next five years.

UBS kept its Sell rating on American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) shares while reducing its price objective from $114 to $107.

Morgan Stanley also reduced its price objective on American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) to $120 from $128 and maintained its Overweight rating. In its year-ahead statement, the firm stated that data centers and growth upside will be major drivers of utility performance in 2026.

American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) operates several utilities, providing investors with insurance against a single adverse regulatory verdict. Regulated investments form the largest portion of the company’s capital investment strategy. Morningstar analysts believe that management’s 7% to 9% earnings growth plan from 2026 to 2030 is attainable at the upper end, and this investment supports that goal.

The stock is up by 25.42% YTD as of December 31, 2025.