Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Sell"

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Ameren (NYSE:AEE) from a "hold" to a "sell" in a report released Saturday.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed — seven Buys, six Holds and one Sell — giving an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $114.92, even as firms like UBS and BMO recently raised targets up to $127 and $120 respectively.
• Ameren slightly beat the quarter's estimates (EPS $0.78 vs. $0.77; revenue $1.78B vs. $1.69B) and currently trades near $113.46 with a P/E of 21.21 and a market cap of about $31.4 billion.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report released on Saturday.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Morgan Stanley set a $116.00 price objective on Ameren in a research note on Friday, February 20th. KeyCorp cut Ameren from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Ameren from $112.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Ameren from $125.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Ameren in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $114.92.

Ameren Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of AEE opened at $113.46 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $31.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.52. Ameren has a one year low of $93.27 and a one year high of $115.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.66. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $109.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $104.96.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.69 billion. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.69% and a net margin of 16.55%.Ameren's revenue for the quarter was down 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.77 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ameren will post 4.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In other news, insider Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.60, for a total transaction of $673,400.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 193,076 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,002,673.60. This represents a 3.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Ameren

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 197 shares during the period. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. acquired a new stake in Ameren in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ameren in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Ameren by 6,040.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 307 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in Ameren by 6,080.0% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 309 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ameren

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.

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