Craig S. Ivey Sells 2,716 Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Stock

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Director Craig S. Ivey sold 2,716 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.27, for a total value 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. The trade was a 15.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AEE opened at $98.52 on Friday. Ameren Co. has a 12-month low of $69.39 and a 12-month high of $100.61. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $92.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $88.99. The firm has a market cap of $26.59 billion, a PE ratio of 22.29, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company posted $0.60 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Ameren Co. will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a dividend of $0.71 per share. This is a boost from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.88%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.63%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ameren

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ameren during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in Ameren during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Ameren during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in Ameren during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. boosted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 78.7% in the 4th quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 470 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AEE. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Ameren from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Ameren from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $89.00 to $104.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Barclays cut shares of Ameren from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $88.00 to $95.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $92.70.

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.