Ameren (NYSE:AEE) PT Raised to $88.00

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) had its target price hoisted by stock analysts at Barclays from $77.00 to $88.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Barclays‘s price target indicates a potential downside of 0.83% from the stock’s previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Argus raised Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Ameren from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Mizuho raised Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $82.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Ameren in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ameren has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $87.80.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of AEE opened at $88.74 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $84.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $77.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.67. Ameren has a 52-week low of $67.03 and a 52-week high of $88.90.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.87 billion. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 16.28%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.90 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Ameren will post 4.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,432 shares in the company, valued at $3,640,758.08. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ameren

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Ameren by 115.3% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of Ameren by 117.6% in the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Ameren by 108.1% in the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 435 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.