Blueshift Asset Management LLC Makes New $305,000 Investment in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 3,426 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $305,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ameren during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ameren in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 312 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. increased its holdings in Ameren by 86.2% in the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 540 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in Ameren by 49.4% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 538 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ameren Stock Up 1.7 %

NYSE AEE traded up $1.68 on Wednesday, hitting $98.86. 1,334,679 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,436,360. Ameren Co. has a fifty-two week low of $69.39 and a fifty-two week high of $104.10. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $97.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $91.77. 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 company has a market cap of $26.68 billion, a PE ratio of 22.37, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.48.

Remove Ads

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last issued 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 quarter last year, the company posted $0.60 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ameren Co. will post 4.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be issued a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.87%. This is an increase from Ameren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. Ameren's dividend payout ratio is presently 64.25%.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In related 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 transaction of $266,901.32. Following the sale, the director now directly 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Shawn E. Schukar sold 4,743 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 owns 57,486 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,966,471.94. This represents a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,959 shares of company stock valued at $1,316,712. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on AEE. UBS Group raised their price target on Ameren from $106.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Evercore ISI upgraded Ameren from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the company from $89.00 to $104.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Ameren from $97.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Ameren from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Ameren from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ameren has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $96.70.

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.