Flputnam Investment Management Co. Takes $257,000 Position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Flputnam Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 3,554 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $257,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ameren by 245.5% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 56,575 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,093,000 after buying an additional 40,202 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in Ameren in the fourth quarter valued at $1,168,000. Raymond James & Associates raised its position in Ameren by 34.7% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 142,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $10,272,000 after purchasing an additional 36,611 shares in the last quarter. Schrum Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ameren during the third quarter worth about $473,000. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 1,637,693 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $122,549,000 after purchasing an additional 17,468 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AEE opened at $72.51 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $71.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $73.49. The company has a market cap of $19.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.44. Ameren Co. has a 12 month low of $67.03 and a 12 month high of $91.18.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.61 by ($0.01). Ameren had a return on equity of 10.42% and a net margin of 15.36%. The business had revenue of $1.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.63 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 20.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Ameren Co. will post 4.59 EPS for the current year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 13th were issued a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 12th. This is a positive change from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.70%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is 61.33%.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In related news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total transaction of $513,989.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 246,434 shares in the company, valued at $17,422,883.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total transaction of $513,989.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 246,434 shares in the company, valued at $17,422,883.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total value of $115,241.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 47,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,385,328.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Ameren from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Ameren from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ameren from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Ameren in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ameren has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $79.40.

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.