American Electric Power Company Inc vs iShares Core High Dividend ETF — how do they compare? American Electric Power Company Inc trades at $123.61 (market cap $66.87B), while iShares Core High Dividend ETF trades at $29.07. The key difference: American Electric Power Company Inc pays a 3.09% dividend while iShares Core High Dividend ETF pays none, and iShares Core High Dividend ETF is trading nearer its 52-week high, American Electric Power Company Inc nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AEP | HDV | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $66.87B | — |
Sector | Utilities | — |
52-Week High | $138.69 | $29.14 |
52-Week Low | $106.44 | $23.64 |
Enterprise Value | $119.77B | — |
Dividend Yield | 3.09% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
American Electric Power (AEP) trades at $125.73, up 0.38% on the day, with a bearish technical signal but strong analyst support. Recent Q2 2026 earnings missed estimates at $1.36 per share versus $1.48 expected, though the company raised full-year 2026 operating EPS guidance to $6.25–$6.55, reflecting confidence in AI-driven power demand growth. Fundamentals show robust revenue growth to $21.88B in 2025 and a net income margin of 13.78%, supported by a $78 billion capital plan.
The outlook remains positive due to contracted load growth and infrastructure investments, but risks include execution of large capital expenditures and interest rate sensitivity. With a consensus price target of $140.89 and no sell ratings, Wall Street sentiment is bullish, though technical indicators suggest near-term caution amid bearish moving averages.
HDV trades at $28.78, up 0.21% with a bullish technical signal. It yields approximately 3.1% from dividends, with recent payouts in June and July 2026. The ETF focuses on high-quality U.S. large-cap dividend stocks, outperforming the S&P 500 year-to-date by 9 percentage points. News highlights its appeal for retirement income and institutional buying, such as 180 Wealth Advisors increasing its stake by 386.2% in Q2 2026.
The outlook is positive due to strong dividend sustainability and defensive sector weighting, but risks include interest rate sensitivity and concentrated holdings. Analysts favor HDV for income-focused portfolios, citing its quality screening and lower volatility.
Trailing returns across standard periods
American Electric Power is one of the largest regulated utilities in the United States, providing electricity generation, transmission, and distribution to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. About 43% of AEP's of capacity is coal, with the remainder from a mix of natural gas (27%), renewable energy and hydro (19%), nuclear (7%), and demand response (4%). Vertically integrated utilities, transmission and distribution, and generation and marketing support earnings.
Read more on AEP →The fund generally will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of its underlying index and in investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the component securities of its underlying index. The underlying index is comprised of qualified income paying securities that are screened for superior company quality and financial health as determined by Morningstar, Inc.'s proprietary index methodology. The fund is non-diversified.
Read more on HDV →