Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Price Target Raised to $101.00

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) had its target price boosted by Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $101.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on AEE. Barclays lifted their target price on Ameren from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Evercore ISI raised Ameren from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $89.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Ameren from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ameren currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $96.70.

Ameren Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of AEE opened at $98.89 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $96.93 and its 200 day moving average is $91.51. The company has a market capitalization of $26.69 billion, a PE ratio of 22.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.48. Ameren has a 12-month low of $69.39 and a 12-month high of $104.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.83 by ($0.06). Ameren had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 10.34%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.60 EPS. Research analysts expect that Ameren will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be issued a $0.71 dividend. This is a boost from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.87%. Ameren’s payout ratio is 64.25%.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In related news, Director Craig S. Ivey sold 2,716 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.27, for a total transaction of $266,901.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 14,495 shares in the company, valued at $1,424,423.65. The trade was a 15.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 5,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.37, for a total value of $557,535.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 43,344 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,393,781.28. The trade was a 11.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,959 shares of company stock worth $1,316,712. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AEE. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Ameren by 21.7% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 5,231 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $458,000 after acquiring an additional 934 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 41,320 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,614,000 after buying an additional 5,016 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 31,943 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,794,000 after buying an additional 2,182 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 3rd quarter worth $233,000. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 3rd quarter worth $1,007,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% 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.