Stack Financial Management Inc Lowers Stock Position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Stack Financial Management Inc cut its stake in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 160,446 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 787 shares during the period. Stack Financial Management Inc owned approximately 0.06% of Ameren worth $14,302,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Ameren in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ameren by 134.5% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 544 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 312 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. grew its stake in shares of Ameren by 86.2% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 540 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 3rd quarter valued at $56,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Ameren during the 3rd quarter worth about $74,000. 79.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ameren news, Director Craig S. Ivey sold 2,716 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 14,495 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,424,423.65. This trade represents a 15.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ameren Stock Performance

NYSE:AEE opened at $98.78 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.66 billion, a PE ratio of 22.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $93.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $89.24. Ameren Co. has a 12 month low of $69.39 and a 12 month high of $100.61.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.77 earnings per share 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 last year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ameren Co. will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. This is an increase from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on AEE shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Ameren from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Ameren from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $89.00 to $104.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays lowered shares of Ameren from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $88.00 to $95.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $92.70.

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.