Patton Fund Management Inc. Grows Stock Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Key Points

• Patton Fund Management boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 3,649% to 77,342 shares (about $8.92 million), making AEP roughly 1.2% of the fund and its 12th-largest holding.
• Analyst sentiment is positive with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $136.33, as several firms recently raised ratings and price objectives.
• AEP beat the quarter on EPS ($1.19 vs. $1.15) and revenue ($5.32B vs. $5.07B), issued FY2026 guidance of 6.15–6.45 EPS, and pays a $0.95 quarterly dividend (annualized $3.80, ~2.8% yield).

Patton Fund Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 3,649.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 77,342 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 75,279 shares during the quarter. American Electric Power makes up approximately 1.2% of Patton Fund Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Patton Fund Management Inc.'s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $8,918,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Czech National Bank grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 141,141 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,275,000 after acquiring an additional 5,314 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 462.1% during the 3rd quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 52,953 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,958,000 after acquiring an additional 43,533 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 228.6% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 51,659 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,812,000 after acquiring an additional 35,938 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 807.5% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 263,751 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,672,000 after acquiring an additional 234,689 shares during the period. Finally, Community Financial Services Group LLC bought a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $4,379,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Argus boosted their price objective on American Electric Power from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Barclays boosted their price objective on American Electric Power from $121.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded American Electric Power from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $148.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on American Electric Power from $133.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on American Electric Power from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $136.33.

Insider Activity at American Electric Power

In other news, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total transaction of $542,320.48. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,582,097.04. This represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $177,602.46. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,410 shares in the company, valued at $2,025,798.60. This trade represents a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

American Electric Power Trading Down 1.3%

AEP stock opened at $134.46 on Tuesday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $97.46 and a 1-year high of $137.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The company has a market capitalization of $73.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.07, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $122.04.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.04. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.46% and a net margin of 16.37%.The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.24 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 10th. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio is 56.72%.

About American Electric Power

American Electric Power NASDAQ: AEP is a major investor-owned electric utility headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The company is primarily engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, operating a diverse portfolio of power plants and an extensive high-voltage transmission network. AEP serves retail customers through its regulated utility subsidiaries and provides wholesale power and grid services across multiple regional markets in the United States.

Operations span the full utility value chain: AEP owns and operates generation assets that include fossil-fuel, natural gas, nuclear and hydropower facilities, and it has been adding renewable resources to its mix.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.