Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $87.80.

AEE has been the subject of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Ameren from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Ameren in a research report on Friday, July 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $87.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho upgraded shares of Ameren from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $82.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In other Ameren news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Ameren by 115.3% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 366 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Ameren during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new position in Ameren in the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Ameren by 108.1% during the first 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 period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Ameren by 227.3% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Ameren Price Performance

AEE stock traded up $2.11 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $92.30. The company had a trading volume of 2,202,589 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,593,976. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $86.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $79.08. Ameren has a 12-month low of $67.03 and a 12-month high of $92.69. The company has a market capitalization of $24.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The business 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 2.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren's payout ratio is presently 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.