Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Trims Holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. trimmed its stake in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 10.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,575,366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 184,020 shares during the period. Ameren comprises 1.4% of Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest position. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. owned approximately 0.59% of Ameren worth $112,024,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Ameren by 115.3% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Ameren in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its position in Ameren by 117.6% during the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Ameren during the first quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren in the first quarter valued at about $31,000. 79.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total transaction of $131,923.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,432 shares in the company, valued at $3,640,758.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of AEE opened at $86.49 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $82.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $75.88. The company has a market cap of $23.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.88, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Ameren Co. has a fifty-two week low of $67.03 and a fifty-two week high of $87.10.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.04. Ameren had a net margin of 16.28% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The company had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.90 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Ameren Co. will post 4.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 11th will be given a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 11th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on AEE. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Ameren from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Ameren in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. Argus upgraded Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ameren presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $85.33.

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.