MML Investors Services LLC Purchases 2,225 Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

MML Investors Services LLC increased its position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,544 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,225 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in Ameren were worth $1,359,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Ameren during the second quarter valued at $26,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Ameren during the third quarter valued at $44,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ameren during the third quarter valued at $49,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Ameren in the third quarter valued at about $56,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Ameren in the second quarter valued at about $58,000. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AEE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Mizuho raised 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 report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Argus raised Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.89.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total transaction of $598,975.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 205,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,906,507.65. This represents a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE AEE opened at $86.93 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $89.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.41. Ameren Co. has a 1-year low of $67.03 and a 1-year high of $95.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.45, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.48.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.08%. Ameren’s payout ratio is currently 63.06%.

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.