Gabelli Funds LLC Has $45.08 Million Stock Position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Gabelli Funds LLC decreased its holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 505,750 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 4,000 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC owned 0.19% of Ameren worth $45,083,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,846 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $165,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in Ameren by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 6,276 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $559,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. raised its holdings in Ameren by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 9,937 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $886,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its stake in Ameren by 16.3% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 980 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $87,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Ameren Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE AEE traded up $0.31 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $98.31. The stock had a trading volume of 1,747,644 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,584,693. The company has a market capitalization of $26.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.45. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $98.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $93.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.66. Ameren Co. has a 52 week low of $69.39 and a 52 week high of $104.10.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.77 earnings per share 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 in the prior year, the company posted $0.60 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Ameren Co. will post 4.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th were paid a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. This is an increase from Ameren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. Ameren's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AEE. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Ameren from $97.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Ameren from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $89.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays reduced their target price on Ameren from $102.00 to $101.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Ameren from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Ameren from $106.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ameren presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $99.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Craig S. Ivey sold 2,716 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.27, for a total value of $266,901.32. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,495 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,424,423.65. This trade represents a 15.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 5,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $4,393,781.28. This represents a 11.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,959 shares of company stock worth $1,316,712. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.