Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Shares Bought by Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 50.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 168,242 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 56,270 shares during the quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned about 0.06% of Ameren worth $14,714,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AEE. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 106.1% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,498,158 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $177,644,000 after buying an additional 1,286,162 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 8,645.7% during the third 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 buying an additional 1,147,723 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 59.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,631,580 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $230,158,000 after buying an additional 984,879 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 3,738.0% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 745,872 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $65,234,000 after buying an additional 726,438 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd grew 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 valued at $78,475,000 after buying an additional 726,404 shares during the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AEE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Argus raised shares of Ameren to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Ameren in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America upped their price target 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 price target on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $89.00.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of AEE stock traded down $0.15 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $92.28. 1,012,506 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,573,406. Ameren Co. has a 52-week low of $67.03 and a 52-week high of $95.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $89.50 and a 200 day moving average of $81.43. The company has a market cap of $24.63 billion, a PE ratio of 21.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.48.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.90%. Ameren's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total transaction of $598,975.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 205,171 shares in the company, valued at $18,906,507.65. This 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 the SEC website. Insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Ameren Profile

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.