Choreo LLC Purchases 4,036 Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Choreo LLC raised its holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 36.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,174 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 4,036 shares during the period. Choreo LLC's holdings in Ameren were worth $1,365,000 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. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Ameren by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 8,513 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $745,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its position in shares of Ameren by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 4,786 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $427,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. NorthRock Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Ameren by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $272,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its position in shares of Ameren by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 9,110 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $797,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in shares of Ameren by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 10,046 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $896,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ameren news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 205,171 shares in the company, valued at $18,906,507.65. The trade was a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Ameren Stock Performance

Ameren stock traded down $1.06 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $97.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,103,868 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,406,920. Ameren Co. has a 1-year low of $67.03 and a 1-year high of $98.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $91.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $88.11. The company has a market cap of $25.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.85, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.49.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 is a boost from Ameren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.92%. Ameren's payout ratio is 63.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on AEE shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Ameren from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Ameren from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $89.00 to $104.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Barclays downgraded shares of Ameren from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $88.00 to $95.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $92.00.

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.