Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Hits New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $89.61 and last traded at $89.61, with a volume of 448060 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $86.55.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on AEE. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Ameren from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Ameren in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ameren presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $87.80.

Ameren Stock Up 4.2 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The stock has a market cap of $24.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.22, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.45. The business’s fifty day moving average is $86.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $79.02.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total transaction of $131,923.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,432 shares in the company, valued at $3,640,758.08. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AEE. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 2.2% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 38,633 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,146,000 after purchasing an additional 819 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 3.5% during the first quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 9,251 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $684,000 after buying an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 16.9% during the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 44,641 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,302,000 after buying an additional 6,445 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 22.5% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,676 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,233,000 after buying an additional 3,064 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tectonic Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 18.0% during the first quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 4,172 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 636 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

About Ameren

Ameren Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a public utility holding company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Ameren Missouri, Ameren Illinois Electric Distribution, Ameren Illinois Natural Gas, and Ameren Transmission. It engages in the rate-regulated electric generation, transmission, and distribution activities; and rate-regulated natural gas distribution business.