Keb Asset Management LLC Sells 104 Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Keb Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 13,941 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 104 shares during the quarter. Ameren comprises about 0.4% of Keb Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Keb Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Ameren were worth $1,243,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Metis Global Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ameren by 1.5% during the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 8,513 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $745,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its position in Ameren by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 4,786 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $427,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its stake in Ameren by 16.3% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 980 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $87,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its holdings in Ameren by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 9,110 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $797,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC lifted its position in shares of Ameren by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 7,665 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $683,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In related news, insider Shawn E. Schukar sold 4,743 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.79, for a total value of $492,275.97. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 57,486 shares in the company, valued at $5,966,471.94. This represents a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 5,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.37, for a total transaction of $557,535.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 43,344 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,393,781.28. The trade was a 11.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,959 shares of company stock worth $1,316,712 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Price Performance

Ameren stock opened at $98.55 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $94.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $90.39. Ameren Co. has a 12 month low of $69.39 and a 12 month high of $104.10. The company has a market capitalization of $26.60 billion, a PE ratio of 22.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 prior year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Ameren Co. will post 4.93 EPS for the current year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be paid a $0.71 dividend. This is a boost from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.88%. Ameren’s payout ratio is currently 64.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays raised their price target on Ameren from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Ameren from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $89.00 to $104.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Ameren has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $93.40.

Ameren Company Profile

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.