Zacks Research Weighs in on Ameren's Q4 Earnings (NYSE:AEE)

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q4 2024 EPS estimates for Ameren in a report released on Wednesday, November 27th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $0.74 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.67. The consensus estimate for Ameren's current full-year earnings is $4.61 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Ameren's Q1 2025 earnings at $1.10 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $0.85 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.94 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $4.88 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.33 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.08 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $5.28 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on AEE. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Argus upgraded shares of Ameren to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $87.78.

Ameren Stock Performance

Ameren stock traded down $1.13 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $93.26. 376,383 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,576,582. The firm's 50 day moving average is $88.98 and its 200 day moving average is $81.03. The stock has a market cap of $24.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.21, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.63. Ameren has a 52-week low of $67.03 and a 52-week high of $95.69.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

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 given a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.87%. Ameren's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.06%.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In other Ameren news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 205,171 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,906,507.65. The trade was a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ameren

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Ameren by 2.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,139,956 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,149,221,000 after purchasing an additional 334,752 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Ameren by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,672,164 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $581,661,000 after acquiring an additional 127,287 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in Ameren by 0.9% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,561,994 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $398,992,000 after acquiring an additional 39,300 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased 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 acquiring an additional 984,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its stake 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 worth $177,644,000 after acquiring an additional 1,286,162 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.