Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Short Interest Update

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,420,000 shares, a growth of 11.8% from the May 31st total of 3,060,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,600,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Ameren Price Performance

AEE stock opened at $71.46 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The company’s 50-day moving average is $72.61 and its 200-day moving average is $71.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.06 billion, a PE ratio of 16.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.44. Ameren has a 1 year low of $67.03 and a 1 year high of $88.72.

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

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 12th were paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 12th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.75%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.61%.

Insider Activity

In other 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 43,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,318,410.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Rafael Flores sold 1,500 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction on Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.29, for a total transaction of $106,935.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 13,768 shares in the company, valued at $981,520.72. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.53, for a total value of $302,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 43,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,318,410.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. LPL Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Ameren by 8.5% during the third 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 during the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Ameren during the 3rd quarter worth $299,000. Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new position in Ameren during the 3rd quarter worth $1,204,000. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its holdings in Ameren by 14.2% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 26,044 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,949,000 after acquiring an additional 3,235 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gotham Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ameren by 125.7% during the 3rd quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 7,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $542,000 after acquiring an additional 4,031 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AEE. StockNews.com raised Ameren from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Ameren in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set a “sell” rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Ameren from $76.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Barclays upgraded shares of Ameren from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $73.00 to $77.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Ameren from $81.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $79.20.

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.