ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd Has $196,000 Stock Position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd decreased its position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 99.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,199 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 1,262,004 shares during the period. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd's holdings in Ameren were worth $196,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ameren during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Ameren during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its stake in Ameren by 134.5% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 544 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 312 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. increased its stake in Ameren by 86.2% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 540 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Ameren by 49.4% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 538 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on AEE shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Ameren from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $89.00 to $104.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Ameren from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Ameren from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ameren has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $93.40.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In other news, insider Shawn E. Schukar sold 4,743 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.79, for a total transaction of $492,275.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 57,486 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,966,471.94. This trade represents a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 5,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.37, for a total transaction of $557,535.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 43,344 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,393,781.28. The trade was a 11.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,959 shares of company stock valued at $1,316,712 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Ameren Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of AEE traded up $1.30 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $99.26. 1,827,679 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,422,691. Ameren Co. has a twelve month low of $69.39 and a twelve month high of $104.10. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $95.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $90.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market cap of $26.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.48.

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

Ameren Increases Dividend

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

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.