Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Shares Bought by QRG Capital Management Inc.

QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 5.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 45,691 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,322 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Ameren were worth $3,996,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AEE. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 8,573 shares in the last quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. lifted its holdings in Ameren by 13.8% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of Ameren by 6.9% in the third 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 during the period. Prosperitas Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Ameren by 9.2% during the third quarter. Prosperitas Financial LLC now owns 31,227 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,731,000 after purchasing an additional 2,632 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its position in shares of Ameren by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 8,566 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $749,000 after purchasing an additional 1,021 shares during the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ameren Stock Performance

NYSE:AEE opened at $87.78 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $86.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.86, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.45. Ameren Co. has a 1-year low of $67.03 and a 1-year high of $89.54.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.05%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Ameren from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $87.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In other news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total transaction of $131,923.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,432 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,640,758.08. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

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.