Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $89.89.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Ameren from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Argus upgraded shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Mizuho upgraded shares of Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Ameren in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 205,171 shares in the company, valued at $18,906,507.65. This trade represents a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ameren

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Ameren by 1.5% during the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 8,513 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $745,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems raised its position in shares of Ameren by 0.6% in the second quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 20,095 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,429,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Ameren by 4.2% in the third quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 1.4% in the second quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 9,803 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $697,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 1.7% in the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 9,110 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $797,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ameren Price Performance

NYSE:AEE opened at $89.62 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.63. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $90.32 and a 200 day moving average of $83.70. Ameren has a 52-week low of $67.03 and a 52-week high of $95.69.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be issued a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren’s dividend 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.