PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Has $4.75 Million Stake in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 7.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 53,260 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 4,461 shares during the quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.'s holdings in Ameren were worth $4,748,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Metis Global Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Ameren by 1.5% during the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 8,513 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $745,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its position in 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 buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its position in Ameren by 16.3% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its position in 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 buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC raised its position in Ameren by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 7,665 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $683,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AEE has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased 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. Barclays increased their price target on Ameren from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Evercore ISI raised Ameren from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price target for the company from $89.00 to $104.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $93.40.

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Insider Transactions at Ameren

In related news, Director Craig S. Ivey sold 2,716 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was 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. The trade was a 15.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 5,500 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.37, for a total value of $557,535.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 43,344 shares in the company, valued at $4,393,781.28. This represents a 11.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 12,959 shares of company stock worth $1,316,712. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AEE opened at $97.44 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $26.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. Ameren Co. has a 1-year low of $69.39 and a 1-year high of $104.10. The stock's 50-day moving average is $95.38 and its 200 day moving average is $90.67.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 period in the prior year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. On average, 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 given a $0.71 dividend. This is a positive change from Ameren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. Ameren's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 64.25%.

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.

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