Ameren (NYSE:AEE) PT Lowered to $80.00

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) had its target price lowered by BMO Capital Markets from $81.00 to $80.00 in a research note released on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on AEE. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ameren from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Barclays upgraded shares of Ameren from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and lifted their target price for the company from $73.00 to $77.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Bank of America increased their price target on Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Ameren from $69.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Ameren in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued a sell rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ameren has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $79.20.

Ameren Trading Up 1.2 %

AEE stock opened at $70.95 on Monday. Ameren has a 1-year low of $67.03 and a 1-year high of $88.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The business’s 50 day moving average is $72.77 and its 200-day moving average is $72.11. The firm has a market cap of $18.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.45.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The utilities provider reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by ($0.08). Ameren had a net margin of 15.84% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The company had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.00 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Ameren will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 12th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.78%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In other Ameren news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.53, for a total value of $302,120.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 43,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,318,410.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.53, for a total transaction of $302,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 43,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,318,410.55. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Rafael Flores sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.29, for a total transaction of $106,935.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 13,768 shares in the company, valued at $981,520.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ameren

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Ameren by 227.3% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. Alexander Labrunerie & CO. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ameren in the first quarter valued at about $524,000. Cetera Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Ameren by 12.1% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 7,941 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $587,000 after buying an additional 856 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 137.2% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 100,154 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,407,000 after buying an additional 57,923 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.