Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Receives $99.33 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $99.89.

Several research firms have weighed in on AEE. UBS Group lifted their target price on Ameren from $106.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Ameren from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Ameren from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Ameren in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ameren in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Shawn E. Schukar sold 4,743 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.79, for a total transaction of $492,275.97. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 57,486 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,966,471.94. This represents a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Craig S. Ivey sold 2,716 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.27, for a total transaction of $266,901.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 14,495 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,424,423.65. The trade was a 15.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,959 shares of company stock valued at $1,316,712 over the last ninety days. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whittier Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of Ameren by 29.6% during the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 499 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its stake in Ameren by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,846 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $165,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 4,786 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $427,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ameren by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 6,276 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $559,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in Ameren by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 10,107 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $901,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ameren Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of AEE opened at $97.48 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.05, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.51. Ameren has a 52 week low of $69.39 and a 52 week high of $104.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.66. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $98.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $94.54.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.01). Ameren had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 15.51%. The firm had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.98 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Ameren will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.91%. Ameren’s payout ratio is presently 62.97%.

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.