Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Stake Raised by Bank & Trust Co

Bank & Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 0.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,832 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 238 shares during the quarter. Ameren accounts for 2.3% of Bank & Trust Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in Ameren were worth $2,784,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Ameren by 115.3% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Ameren during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its position in Ameren by 117.6% in the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Ameren in the first quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 108.1% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 435 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of AEE traded down $0.28 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $86.10. 284,760 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,612,551. 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 52-week low of $67.03 and a 52-week high of $88.11. The company has a market cap of $22.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.87, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $83.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $76.77.

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

Ameren Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 11th were issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 11th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.11%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.61%.

Insider Activity

In other Ameren news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total value of $131,923.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,640,758.08. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on AEE shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Ameren in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $97.00 target price for the company. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Mizuho upgraded shares of Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.70.

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.