Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Shares Acquired by Bank of Montreal Can

Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 49.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 556,923 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 185,173 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can owned approximately 0.21% of Ameren worth $48,168,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ameren by 106.1% in the 2nd 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 period. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in Ameren by 8,645.7% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,160,998 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,015,410,000 after acquiring an additional 1,147,723 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in 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 worth $65,234,000 after acquiring an additional 726,438 shares during the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd increased its position in shares of Ameren by 192.6% during the 2nd quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd now owns 1,103,565 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $78,475,000 after purchasing an additional 726,404 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its stake in shares of Ameren by 155.6% in the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 648,306 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $46,101,000 after acquiring an additional 394,700 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on AEE shares. Mizuho raised Ameren from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Ameren in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $97.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Ameren from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Argus upgraded Ameren to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $87.90.

Ameren Stock Performance

NYSE AEE traded up $0.71 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $94.98. The company had a trading volume of 1,054,917 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,586,188. The business has a 50 day moving average of $88.81 and a 200-day moving average of $80.81. The company has a market cap of $25.35 billion, a PE ratio of 22.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.45. Ameren Co. has a 1-year low of $67.03 and a 1-year high of $95.69. 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 Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.82%. Ameren's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total transaction of $598,975.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 205,171 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,906,507.65. This trade represents a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate 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.