Chonda J. Nwamu Sells 5,500 Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Stock

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 5,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.37, for a total value of $557,535.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 43,344 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,393,781.28. The trade was a 11.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Ameren Price Performance

AEE stock opened at $98.77 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $94.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $90.12. The stock has a market cap of $26.66 billion, a PE ratio of 22.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.48. Ameren Co. has a one year low of $69.39 and a one year high of $104.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by ($0.06). Ameren had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 15.51%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Ameren Co. will post 4.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. 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 2.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AEE shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Ameren from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Ameren from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $89.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Ameren from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $93.40.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Ameren by 5.7% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 15,832 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,385,000 after acquiring an additional 857 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ameren by 13.5% in the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 8,566 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $749,000 after purchasing an additional 1,021 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of Ameren by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 76,253 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,801,000 after purchasing an additional 4,949 shares in the last quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 18,213 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,601,000 after purchasing an additional 2,211 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its position in Ameren by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 146,775 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $12,837,000 after purchasing an additional 8,573 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.