Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Price Target Raised to $113.00 at UBS Group

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) had its price target raised by UBS Group from $106.00 to $113.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the utilities provider's stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on AEE. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Ameren from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Ameren from $97.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Evercore ISI raised Ameren from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the company from $89.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Ameren from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ameren presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $96.70.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AEE traded up $0.25 during trading on Friday, hitting $99.16. 290,635 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,434,257. Ameren has a 12-month low of $69.39 and a 12-month high of $104.10. The company has a market cap of $26.76 billion, a PE ratio of 22.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $96.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $91.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41.

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Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.83 by ($0.06). Ameren had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 15.51%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Ameren will post 4.93 EPS for the current year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be paid a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.86%. This is a positive change from Ameren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. Ameren's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In other Ameren news, Director Craig S. Ivey sold 2,716 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.27, for a total value of $266,901.32. Following the transaction, the director now owns 14,495 shares in the company, valued at $1,424,423.65. This trade represents a 15.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Shawn E. Schukar sold 4,743 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.79, for a total value of $492,275.97. Following the sale, the insider now owns 57,486 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,966,471.94. The trade was a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,959 shares of company stock worth $1,316,712 in the last 90 days. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ameren

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ameren in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in Ameren during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Ameren during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. raised its stake in shares of Ameren by 78.7% in the 4th quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 470 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Ameren Company 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.