Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $89.00.

AEE has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Mizuho upgraded 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 research report on Monday, September 16th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Ameren in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $97.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Ameren from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd.

Ameren Trading Down 0.5 %

AEE stock traded down $0.47 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $91.81. 725,678 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,569,813. Ameren has a one year low of $67.03 and a one year high of $95.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.51 billion, a PE ratio of 21.60, a PEG ratio of 3.02 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 business has a 50-day moving average price of $89.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $81.55.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.06%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 205,171 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,906,507.65. This represents a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Ameren during the second quarter valued at $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Ameren by 227.3% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. American National Bank acquired a new position in shares of Ameren during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ameren in the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren in the third quarter valued at about $49,000. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.