MetLife Investment Management LLC Sells 1,752 Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

MetLife Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 2.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 69,362 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,752 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Ameren were worth $6,066,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AEE. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Ameren by 115.3% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Ameren during the second quarter worth about $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 227.3% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. American National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ameren during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Ameren from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays increased their target price on Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Mizuho upgraded Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $82.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $87.78.

Insider Activity

In other Ameren 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 205,171 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,906,507.65. The trade was a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ameren Trading Down 0.6 %

AEE opened at $94.39 on Friday. Ameren Co. has a twelve month low of $67.03 and a twelve month high of $95.69. The company has a fifty day moving average of $88.98 and a 200-day moving average of $80.99. The stock has a market cap of $25.20 billion, a PE ratio of 22.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.45. 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 Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.06%.

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.