American Electric Power Company, Inc. AEP reported first-quarter 2026 operating earnings of $1.64 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.55 by 5.8%. Operating earnings increased 6.5% from $1.54 in the year-ago quarter.
On a GAAP basis, AEP posted earnings of $1.61 per share, up from $1.50 a year ago.
American Electric Total Revenues
AEP generated total revenues of $6.02 billion, up 10.2% from $5.46 billion in the prior-year quarter. The top line also came in ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.68 billion by 6.0%.
The company’s quarter reflected continued demand growth across its service territory, with management pointing to seven gigawatts of new load agreements signed during the first quarter, largely in Ohio and Texas. AEP also highlighted that its incremental contracted load is expected to expand to 63 gigawatts by 2030, supported by signed agreements with large-load customers.
American Electric Power Company, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
American Electric Power Company, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | American Electric Power Company, Inc. Quote
AEP’s Segmental Performance
Vertically Integrated Utilities: Operating earnings increased to $464 million from $350 million in the year-ago quarter, supported by stronger underlying utility performance. This segment remained AEP’s largest profit contributor for the period.
Transmission & Distribution Utilities: Operating earnings came in at $237 million, up from $192 million a year ago. The improvement reflected stronger results in the distribution-focused utilities compared with the prior-year base.
AEP Transmission Holdco: Operating earnings totaled $209 million, down from $235 million in first-quarter 2025. Despite its strategic importance, this segment was the primary drag on year-over-year operating earnings growth.
Generation & Marketing: Operating earnings rose to $90 million from $76 million a year earlier. The improvement indicated better performance in the company’s marketing, risk management and related market activities compared with the year-ago quarter.
Corporate and Other: The segment reported an operating loss of $109 million, wider than the $30 million loss posted in the prior-year period. The larger loss meaningfully offset gains elsewhere across the portfolio.
AEP’s 2026 Guidance
American Electric expects to generate earnings in the band of $6.15-$6.45 per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $6.33 per share, which lies above the midpoint of the company’s projected range.
AEP’s Zacks Rank
American Electric currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Recent Utility Releases
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. CNP reported first-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of 56 cents per share, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 58 cents by 3.8%. However, the bottom line increased 5.7% from 53 cents in the year-ago quarter.
CNP generated revenues of $2.98 billion, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.04 billion by 1.4%. However, the top line improved 2% from the year-ago reported figure of $2.92 billion.
CMS Energy Corporation CMS reported first-quarter 2026 earnings of $1.13 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.11 by 1.8%. The bottom line also increased 10.8% from $1.02 in the prior-year quarter.
CMS’ operating revenues totaled $2.73 billion, which topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.53 billion by 8.1%. The top line also increased 11.6% from $2.45 billion in the prior-year quarter.
Edison International EIX came out with quarterly earnings of $1.42 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.32 per share by 7.6%. The bottom line also increased 3.7% from $1.37 in the year-ago quarter.
Edison International's first-quarter operating revenues totaled $4.1 billion, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.99 billion by 2.8%. The top line also increased 7.6% from the year-ago quarter’s figure of $3.81 billion.
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