Franklin Resources Inc. Purchases 123,084 Shares of Ameren Corporation $AEE

Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,473,120 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 123,084 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Ameren were worth $246,966,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AEE. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in Ameren by 285.5% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 266 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 6,040.0% during the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 6,080.0% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 309 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 45.4% during the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 349 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wiser Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ameren during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ameren Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE:AEE opened at $107.99 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $110.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $106.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Ameren Corporation has a one year low of $93.50 and a one year high of $115.58. The company has a market cap of $29.89 billion, a PE ratio of 19.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.47.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.17 by $0.11. Ameren had a net margin of 17.17% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The business had revenue of $2.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.07 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Ameren has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.250-5.450 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ameren Corporation will post 5.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Theresa A. Shaw sold 325 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.08, for a total transaction of $35,451.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 32,618 shares in the company, valued at $3,557,971.44. This trade represents a 0.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho set a $117.00 price target on shares of Ameren in a report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Ameren from $104.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Ameren from $125.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $120.00 to $126.00 in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Argus lifted their price target on shares of Ameren from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $117.54.

Ameren Profile

Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE) is an integrated energy company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that provides electric and natural gas delivery and related services in portions of Missouri and Illinois. The company operates regulated utility businesses that serve a broad mix of residential, commercial and industrial customers, and it participates in wholesale energy markets and transmission operations that support reliable service across its service territories.

Ameren’s core activities include generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, distribution of natural gas, and the provision of customer energy solutions such as demand-side management and energy efficiency programs.