JPMorgan Chase & Co. Raises Stock Holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 51.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,064,877 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 362,772 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in Ameren were worth $93,134,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Ameren in the 3rd quarter valued at about $44,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ameren during the third quarter worth approximately $49,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Ameren during the third quarter worth approximately $56,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Ameren in the 2nd quarter worth $58,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Ameren in the third quarter valued at $74,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AEE has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Ameren in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target for the company. Argus raised Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Ameren from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ameren has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.89.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total transaction of $598,975.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 205,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,906,507.65. This represents a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE:AEE opened at $88.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.63. The company has a market capitalization of $23.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.48. Ameren Co. has a one year low of $67.03 and a one year high of $95.69. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $90.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $83.90.

Ameren Announces Dividend

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

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.