Retirement Systems of Alabama Lowers Position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Retirement Systems of Alabama decreased its holdings in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 57,793 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 550 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Ameren were worth $5,152,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Ameren during the third quarter valued at $44,000. Mather Group LLC. raised its stake in Ameren by 86.2% during the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 540 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its stake in Ameren by 134.5% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 544 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Ameren during the third quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Ameren during the third quarter valued at $56,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Trading Down 0.0 %

NYSE AEE opened at $97.05 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $91.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $87.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The stock has a market cap of $25.90 billion, a PE ratio of 22.83, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.49. Ameren Co. has a 12 month low of $67.03 and a 12 month high of $97.99.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be issued a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. This is a boost from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.93%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ameren news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 205,171 shares in the company, valued at $18,906,507.65. This represents a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AEE. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Barclays downgraded shares of Ameren from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $88.00 to $95.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Ameren from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $89.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Ameren from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $92.00.

Ameren 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.