Gateway Investment Advisers LLC Increases Stake in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 7.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 425,035 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 28,834 shares during the quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC owned 0.16% of Ameren worth $37,888,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AEE. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Ameren by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,139,956 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,149,221,000 after purchasing an additional 334,752 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 1.9% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,672,164 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $581,661,000 after purchasing an additional 127,287 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in shares of Ameren by 0.9% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,561,994 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $398,992,000 after buying an additional 39,300 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Ameren by 59.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,631,580 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $230,158,000 after buying an additional 984,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC raised its position in Ameren by 106.1% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,498,158 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $177,644,000 after buying an additional 1,286,162 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AEE. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Ameren from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Ameren in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $97.00 target price for the company. Barclays raised their price target on Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $89.89.

Ameren Stock Performance

AEE traded up $2.75 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $93.87. The company had a trading volume of 1,142,522 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,147,612. The business has a 50-day moving average of $90.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $85.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. Ameren Co. has a 1 year low of $67.03 and a 1 year high of $95.69. The company has a market cap of $25.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.48.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 205,171 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,906,507.65. This represents a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Ameren

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.