South Dakota Investment Council Buys 3,400 Shares of Ameren Corporation $AEE

South Dakota Investment Council boosted its holdings in shares of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE) by 100.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,800 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,400 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Ameren were worth $653,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in Ameren by 10.0% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 34,201 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,434,000 after buying an additional 3,112 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Ameren by 61.6% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 22,605 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,270,000 after buying an additional 8,618 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Ameren during the first quarter worth $897,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Ameren by 5.7% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,825,064 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $283,636,000 after buying an additional 151,808 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Wealth Management Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Ameren during the second quarter worth $380,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AEE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Ameren from $111.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Ameren from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Ameren to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Ameren in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $112.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ameren in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $109.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.44, for a total transaction of $659,360.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 198,973 shares in the company, valued at $20,183,821.12. This represents a 3.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Gwendolyn G. Mizell sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.79, for a total transaction of $101,790.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 9,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $929,240.91. This trade represents a 9.87% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ameren Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE AEE opened at $101.98 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $102.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $99.40. The company has a market cap of $27.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. Ameren Corporation has a 12-month low of $85.69 and a 12-month high of $106.73.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 9th. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is 62.42%.

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.