Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Stock Holdings Lowered by Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 15.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,458 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,121 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Ameren were worth $1,170,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 115.3% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Ameren during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Ameren by 117.6% during the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Ameren in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ameren news, Director Rafael Flores sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 7th. The stock was 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 this link. In other Ameren news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total value of $131,923.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,640,758.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 directly owns 13,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $981,520.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AEE shares. Barclays raised shares of Ameren from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $73.00 to $77.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. StockNews.com raised Ameren from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Ameren in a research note on Friday, July 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $87.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Ameren from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $81.00.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AEE opened at $82.51 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Ameren Co. has a 1-year low of $67.03 and a 1-year high of $84.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.44. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $77.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $74.02.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.04. Ameren had a net margin of 16.28% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.90 earnings per share. Ameren’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Ameren Co. will post 4.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 11th will be given a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 11th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.25%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.61%.

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.