MetLife Investment Management LLC Sells 1,752 Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

MetLife Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 2.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 69,362 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,752 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Ameren were worth $6,066,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in Ameren by 392.0% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 19,434 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,382,000 after buying an additional 15,484 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP bought a new stake in Ameren during the third quarter worth about $1,417,000. Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new position in Ameren during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,632,000. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its stake in Ameren by 137.2% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 100,154 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,407,000 after purchasing an additional 57,923 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lindenwold Advisors INC acquired a new position in shares of Ameren during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,682,000. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AEE shares. 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 note on Thursday, August 29th. BMO Capital Markets boosted 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Argus upgraded Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Ameren from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.78.

Ameren Stock Down 0.6 %

AEE stock opened at $94.39 on Friday. Ameren Co. has a fifty-two week low of $67.03 and a fifty-two week high of $95.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.21, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.45. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $88.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $80.99.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 205,171 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,906,507.65. The trade was a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

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.