Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Price Target Raised to $94.00

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) had its target price upped by Morgan Stanley from $86.00 to $94.00 in a research note released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on AEE. Bank of America raised their price objective on Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Ameren in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target for the company. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.89.

Ameren Stock Performance

NYSE AEE opened at $89.84 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.14, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. Ameren has a twelve month low of $67.03 and a twelve month high of $95.69. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $89.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $82.34.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren’s payout ratio is 63.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 205,171 shares in the company, valued at $18,906,507.65. This represents a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ameren

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Ameren by 1.5% during the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 8,513 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $745,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems grew its position in shares of Ameren by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 20,095 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,429,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the period. NorthRock Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Ameren by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Ameren by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 9,803 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $697,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its stake in Ameren by 1.7% in the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 9,110 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $797,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.