Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Receives $89.89 Average PT from Analysts

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $89.89.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AEE. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Ameren in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho raised Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th.

Ameren Trading Down 0.2 %

Ameren stock opened at $88.99 on Tuesday. Ameren has a 12-month low of $67.03 and a 12-month high of $95.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $90.35 and a 200 day moving average of $83.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 11th were issued a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.06%.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In other news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 205,171 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,906,507.65. The trade was a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ameren

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Metis Global Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Ameren by 1.5% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 8,513 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $745,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC raised its position in Ameren by 4.2% in 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 period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its stake in Ameren by 1.4% in the second 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 last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of Ameren by 1.7% during the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 9,110 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $797,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.