Citigroup Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Citigroup Inc. lowered its holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 224,413 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 9,823 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc.’s holdings in Ameren were worth $19,627,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AEE. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,653,542 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $144,619,000 after buying an additional 30,511 shares during the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its position in Ameren by 27.3% in the third quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 9,756 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $853,000 after acquiring an additional 2,095 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in Ameren by 33.4% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,034,148 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $90,447,000 after acquiring an additional 258,858 shares during the last quarter. Commerce Bank grew its position in shares of Ameren by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 161,855 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $14,156,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ameren by 14.1% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 57,721 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,048,000 after purchasing an additional 7,112 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of AEE opened at $94.25 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $88.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $80.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. Ameren Co. has a twelve month low of $67.03 and a twelve month high of $94.61. The stock has a market cap of $25.16 billion, a PE ratio of 22.18, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The company 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 $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on AEE shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Bank of America increased 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Argus raised shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded shares of Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, September 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $87.90.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In other Ameren news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 205,171 shares in the company, valued at $18,906,507.65. This represents a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.