NBC Securities Inc. Sells 1,454 Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

NBC Securities Inc. cut its holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 22.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,942 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,454 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc.’s holdings in Ameren were worth $365,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AEE. Aviva PLC raised its position in shares of Ameren by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 3,972 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $297,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Ameren by 25.5% in the 3rd quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,714 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $652,000 after buying an additional 1,771 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in Ameren by 40.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 411,018 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,755,000 after buying an additional 118,244 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC increased its position in Ameren by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 81,338 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,087,000 after buying an additional 6,379 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC increased its position in Ameren by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 28,076 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,101,000 after buying an additional 2,077 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Ameren from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Ameren from $69.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Ameren from $76.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Ameren in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set a “sell” rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $79.70.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In related news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.53, for a total value of $302,120.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 43,935 shares in the company, valued at $3,318,410.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Ameren news, Director Rafael Flores sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.29, for a total transaction of $106,935.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 13,768 shares in the company, valued at $981,520.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.53, for a total value of $302,120.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 43,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,318,410.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AEE opened at $70.24 on Friday. Ameren Co. has a twelve month low of $67.03 and a twelve month high of $88.72. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $72.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.32. The company has a market capitalization of $18.73 billion, a PE ratio of 16.15, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 9th. The utilities provider reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($0.08). Ameren had a net margin of 15.84% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The firm had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.00 EPS. Ameren’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ameren Co. will post 4.58 EPS for the current year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 12th will be paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 12th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.82%. Ameren’s payout ratio is 61.61%.

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.