Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Receives $99.33 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $99.89.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ameren in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Ameren from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Barclays boosted their target price on Ameren from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Evercore ISI raised Ameren from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $89.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ameren in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AEE opened at $97.48 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $26.35 billion, a PE ratio of 22.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.51. Ameren has a 1 year low of $69.39 and a 1 year high of $104.10. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $98.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $94.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $2.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.92 billion. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 15.51%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.98 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Ameren will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.91%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.97%.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In related news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 5,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.37, for a total value of $557,535.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 43,344 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,393,781.28. This represents a 11.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Shawn E. Schukar sold 4,743 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.79, for a total value of $492,275.97. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 57,486 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,966,471.94. This trade represents a 7.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,959 shares of company stock worth $1,316,712. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 1st quarter valued at about $205,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Ameren by 1.8% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,726,936 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $173,384,000 after buying an additional 30,105 shares in the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI purchased a new stake in Ameren during the first quarter worth $235,000. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ameren during the first quarter valued at about $218,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Ameren by 2.9% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,314,121 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,445,138,000 after purchasing an additional 979,928 shares during the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Ameren

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.