Analysts Set Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Price Target at $79.20

Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $79.20.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on AEE shares. Bank of America raised their price target on Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ameren from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Barclays upgraded shares of Ameren from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $73.00 to $77.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Ameren from $81.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Ameren in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They set a “sell” rating and a $73.00 target price for the company.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In related news, Director Rafael Flores sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.29, for a total transaction of $106,935.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 13,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $981,520.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.53, for a total transaction of $302,120.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 43,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,318,410.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Rafael Flores sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.29, for a total value of $106,935.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 13,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $981,520.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ameren by 28.8% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,284 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $620,000 after purchasing an additional 1,854 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in shares of Ameren by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 61,209 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,580,000 after acquiring an additional 3,566 shares in the last quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Ameren during the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,550,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Ameren during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,114,000. Finally, Pure Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Ameren by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,952 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $648,000 after purchasing an additional 989 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of AEE opened at $73.12 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.50 billion, a PE ratio of 16.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.44. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $72.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $71.88. Ameren has a 52-week low of $67.03 and a 52-week high of $88.72.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 9th. The utilities provider reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $1.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 15.84%. The company’s revenue was down 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.00 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Ameren will post 4.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 12th were paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.67%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 12th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.61%.

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.