Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Shares Bought by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 155.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 648,306 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 394,700 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned approximately 0.24% of Ameren worth $46,101,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Ameren by 115.3% during the second 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. purchased a new stake in Ameren in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its holdings in Ameren by 117.6% in the 1st 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 during the period. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Ameren in the first quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Ameren during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE:AEE opened at $85.62 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Ameren Co. has a fifty-two week low of $67.03 and a fifty-two week high of $85.85. The stock has a market cap of $22.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.45. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $80.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $75.46.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.87 billion. Ameren had a net margin of 16.28% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.90 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Ameren Co. will post 4.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 11th will be issued a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 11th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.13%. Ameren’s payout ratio is currently 61.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AEE shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Ameren from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. UBS Group began coverage on Ameren in a research note on Friday, July 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $87.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Ameren in a research note on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $85.00.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In other Ameren news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of the 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 directly owns 44,432 shares in the company, valued at $3,640,758.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Company 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.