Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Stock Position Boosted by Maple Brown Abbott Ltd

Maple Brown Abbott Ltd raised its position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 16.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,574,860 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 223,790 shares during the quarter. Ameren comprises about 11.7% of Maple Brown Abbott Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Maple Brown Abbott Ltd’s holdings in Ameren were worth $113,925,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AEE. Colony Group LLC boosted its stake in Ameren by 3.7% in the first quarter. Colony Group LLC now owns 3,405 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $294,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 18,055 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,475,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,928 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $512,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Toroso Investments LLC grew its stake in Ameren by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Toroso Investments LLC now owns 3,059 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $272,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alaska Permanent Fund Corp increased its position in Ameren by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 20,487 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,533,000 after buying an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ameren Trading Up 2.5 %

Shares of AEE traded up $1.73 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $72.07. The company had a trading volume of 687,378 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,779,129. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $71.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $73.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market cap of $19.21 billion, a PE ratio of 16.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.44. Ameren Co. has a 1-year low of $67.03 and a 1-year high of $91.18.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by ($0.01). Ameren had a return on equity of 10.42% and a net margin of 15.36%. The firm had revenue of $1.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.03 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.63 earnings per share. Ameren’s revenue for the quarter was down 20.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Ameren Co. will post 4.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 13th were given a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 12th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.72%. This is an increase from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Ameren’s payout ratio is currently 61.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AEE. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Ameren in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set a “sell” rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Ameren from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Barclays cut their target price on Ameren from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Ameren from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $79.40.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In other news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total value of $513,989.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 246,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,422,883.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Ameren news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total value of $513,989.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 246,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,422,883.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total transaction of $115,241.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 47,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,385,328.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Ameren 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.