Fmr LLC Acquires 984,879 Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 59.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,631,580 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 984,879 shares during the quarter. FMR LLC owned 0.99% of Ameren worth $230,158,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AEE. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 106.1% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,498,158 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $177,644,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286,162 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Ameren by 8,645.7% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,160,998 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,015,410,000 after acquiring an additional 1,147,723 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Ameren by 3,738.0% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 745,872 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $65,234,000 after purchasing an additional 726,438 shares in the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 192.6% during the second quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd now owns 1,103,565 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $78,475,000 after purchasing an additional 726,404 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its position in Ameren by 155.6% during the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 648,306 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $46,101,000 after purchasing an additional 394,700 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Ameren Price Performance

AEE stock traded down $0.08 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $92.80. 156,132 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,573,995. The stock has a market cap of $24.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.85, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.47. Ameren Co. has a one year low of $67.03 and a one year high of $95.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $89.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $81.16.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.06%.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the firm's 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 owns 205,171 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,906,507.65. This trade represents a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on AEE. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Ameren from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays raised their price target on Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Argus raised shares of Ameren to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Ameren in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $97.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ameren currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $87.78.

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.