Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Shares Acquired by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 126.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,690 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,417 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Ameren were worth $701,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in Ameren in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Ameren during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Concord Wealth Partners raised its stake in shares of Ameren by 64.9% during the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CNB Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 46.7% in the 3rd quarter. CNB Bank now owns 641 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Ameren in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set a “sell” rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Ameren from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 15th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Ameren from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Ameren from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ameren has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $79.40.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In other Ameren news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total value of $513,989.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 246,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,422,883.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total transaction of $115,241.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 47,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,385,328.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 value of $513,989.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 246,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,422,883.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AEE opened at $74.02 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.65. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $72.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.53. The stock has a market cap of $19.73 billion, a PE ratio of 16.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.44. Ameren Co. has a one year low of $67.03 and a one year high of $91.18.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $1.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.03 billion. Ameren had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 10.42%. The firm’s revenue was down 20.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.63 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Ameren Co. will post 4.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 13th were given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 12th. This is a positive change from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Ameren’s payout ratio is currently 61.33%.

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.