Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC Acquires New Holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,570 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $318,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Versor Investments LP bought a new stake in Ameren during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,417,000. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ameren by 59.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,631,580 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $230,158,000 after purchasing an additional 984,879 shares during the period. Lindenwold Advisors INC bought a new stake in shares of Ameren during the third quarter valued at about $1,682,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Ameren by 51.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,064,877 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $93,134,000 after purchasing an additional 362,772 shares during the period. Finally, HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC grew its position in Ameren by 265.0% in the 3rd quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC now owns 173,771 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $15,198,000 after buying an additional 126,157 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Ameren Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE AEE traded up $1.31 on Friday, hitting $98.52. 4,117,866 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,660,705. Ameren Co. has a twelve month low of $69.39 and a twelve month high of $100.61. The company's 50 day moving average price is $92.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $88.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

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

Ameren Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.88%. This is a positive change from Ameren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. Ameren's payout ratio is presently 64.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ameren news, Director Craig S. Ivey sold 2,716 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,495 shares in the company, valued at $1,424,423.65. This represents a 15.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on AEE. Barclays downgraded shares of Ameren from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $88.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Ameren from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded Ameren from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $89.00 to $104.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given 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 price target of $92.70.

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.