Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Sets New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $97.99 and last traded at $97.05, with a volume of 1989103 shares. The stock had previously closed at $97.09.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on AEE shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Ameren from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Barclays cut Ameren from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $88.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised shares of Ameren from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $89.00 to $104.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $92.00.

Ameren Price Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $91.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $88.11. The company has a market cap of $25.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.85, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.63.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. This is a positive change from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.92%. Ameren’s payout ratio is 63.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In other news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total transaction of $598,975.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 205,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,906,507.65. This trade represents a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Ameren in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Ameren in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in Ameren during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ameren during the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of Ameren by 134.5% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 544 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. 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.