Victory Capital Management Inc. Sells 19,856 Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Victory Capital Management Inc. reduced its position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 406,717 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 19,856 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.15% of Ameren worth $35,571,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Kentucky Retirement Systems grew its holdings in Ameren by 0.6% during the second quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 20,095 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,429,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. NorthRock Partners LLC lifted its stake in Ameren by 4.2% in the third quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 1.4% in the second quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 9,803 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $697,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Ameren by 115.3% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 366 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ameren by 1.3% during the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 16,667 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,458,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In other news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total transaction of $131,923.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,432 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,640,758.08. This represents a 3.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AEE has been the topic of several research reports. Mizuho upgraded Ameren from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Ameren from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $87.80.

Ameren Stock Up 1.7 %

NYSE:AEE traded up $1.50 on Friday, hitting $91.22. The stock had a trading volume of 1,447,521 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,544,125. Ameren Co. has a 1 year low of $67.03 and a 1 year high of $92.77. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $87.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $79.65. The stock has a market cap of $24.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.63.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.06%.

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.