Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Reaches New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $92.79 and last traded at $92.75, with a volume of 56988 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $92.24.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on AEE shares. Barclays boosted their target price on Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Argus upgraded shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ameren has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $87.80.

Ameren Stock Performance

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 company has a market cap of $25.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a 50-day moving average of $87.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $80.02.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be issued a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren’s payout ratio is presently 63.06%.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In other Ameren news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total transaction of $131,923.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,432 shares in the company, valued at $3,640,758.08. This represents a 3.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Blair William & Co. IL grew its stake in Ameren by 5.6% in the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 4,731 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $350,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ameren by 22.9% in the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 7,297 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $540,000 after acquiring an additional 1,361 shares during the last quarter. Natixis bought a new stake in Ameren during the 1st quarter worth about $91,000. Shell Asset Management Co. lifted its holdings in Ameren by 183.4% during the 1st quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 7,643 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $565,000 after buying an additional 4,946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC lifted its position in Ameren by 108.1% during the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 435 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.