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

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Ameren to “sell” from “hold,” contrasting with the broader analyst consensus of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.08.
• Ameren reported quarterly EPS of $1.13, beating estimates of $1.08, but revenue fell 5.8% year over year to $2.09 billion and missed expectations.
• Ameren shares opened at $108.99, while insiders sold 8,325 shares worth approximately $907,716 over the past quarter; institutional investors own 79.09% of the stock.

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

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. BTIG Research set a $126.00 price objective on Ameren in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Ameren from $126.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ameren from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Ameren from $122.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Ameren from $121.00 to $119.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $122.08.

Ameren Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of Ameren stock opened at $108.99 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $110.86 and a 200 day moving average of $109.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.19, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.47. Ameren has a fifty-two week low of $96.57 and a fifty-two week high of $118.32.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.05. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.95% and a net margin of 17.86%.The company had revenue of $2.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.01 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Ameren has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.250-5.450 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Ameren will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In related news, insider Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.96, for a total transaction of $708,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 199,689 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,758,113.44. The trade was a 3.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Theresa A. Shaw sold 325 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.08, for a total value of $35,451.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 32,618 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,557,971.44. This trade represents a 0.99% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 8,325 shares of company stock worth $907,716. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Droms Strauss Advisors Inc. MO ADV increased its holdings in shares of Ameren by 2.2% in the first quarter. Droms Strauss Advisors Inc. MO ADV now owns 4,162 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $457,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. boosted its stake in shares of Ameren by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. now owns 2,269 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $249,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 5,746 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $632,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 19.4% in the 1st quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 602 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Segment Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ameren by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,045 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $304,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Ameren Company 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.

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