Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE – Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $92.70.
Several research firms have issued reports on AEE. Evercore ISI raised Ameren from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $89.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Ameren from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays lowered Ameren from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $88.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th.
Get Our Latest Analysis on Ameren
Ameren Stock Performance
Ameren (NYSE:AEE – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.83 by ($0.06). Ameren had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 10.34%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Ameren will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Ameren Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a dividend of $0.71 per share. 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 2.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. Ameren’s payout ratio is presently 60.63%.
Insider Activity at Ameren
In related news, Director Craig S. Ivey sold 2,716 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.27, for a total value of $266,901.32. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 14,495 shares in the company, valued at $1,424,423.65. The trade was a 15.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren
Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Versor Investments LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren during the third quarter worth about $1,417,000. FMR LLC lifted its position in Ameren by 59.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,631,580 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $230,158,000 after buying an additional 984,879 shares during the period. Lindenwold Advisors INC acquired a new stake in Ameren in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,682,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Ameren by 51.7% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,064,877 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $93,134,000 after buying an additional 362,772 shares during the period. Finally, HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ameren by 265.0% during the 3rd quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC now owns 173,771 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $15,198,000 after acquiring an additional 126,157 shares during the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
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.
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