Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Reaches New 1-Year High - What's Next?

Key Points

• Ameren Corporation reached a new 52-week high of $106.23, reflecting increased investor interest with a volume of 107,282 shares traded.
• Research analysts have mixed sentiments on Ameren's stock, with price targets ranging from $100 to $114, and a general consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.71 per share, which will be paid on December 31st, representing an annual yield of 2.7%.

Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $106.23 and last traded at $106.06, with a volume of 107282 shares. The stock had previously closed at $105.39.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on AEE shares. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Ameren from $104.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Ameren from $105.00 to $104.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Ameren from $104.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Ameren in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Ameren from $111.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ameren has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.38.

Ameren Stock Performance

The firm's 50-day moving average is $101.41 and its 200 day moving average is $98.77. The stock has a market cap of $28.65 billion, a PE ratio of 23.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.80.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Ameren had a net margin of 14.55% and a return on equity of 10.38%. Ameren's quarterly revenue was up 31.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.97 EPS. Ameren has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.850-5.050 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ameren Corporation will post 4.93 EPS for the current year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 9th. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Ameren's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ameren news, SVP Gwendolyn G. Mizell sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.79, for a total transaction of $101,790.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 9,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $929,240.91. This represents a 9.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AEE. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ameren in the 1st quarter valued at about $241,496,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Ameren by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 28,404,577 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,851,821,000 after acquiring an additional 1,355,848 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 3.7% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 35,582,578 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,417,351,000 after buying an additional 1,268,457 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 51.7% during the first quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 3,576,385 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $359,069,000 after buying an additional 1,218,509 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 89.4% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,419,756 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $232,393,000 after buying an additional 1,141,978 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.