Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Stock Price Expected to Rise, BMO Capital Markets Analyst Says

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) had its price target boosted by equities researchers at BMO Capital Markets from $105.00 to $106.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "outperform" rating on the utilities provider's stock. BMO Capital Markets' target price indicates a potential upside of 7.34% from the company's previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on AEE. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Ameren in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Ameren from $106.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Evercore ISI upgraded Ameren from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $89.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Ameren in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Ameren from $102.00 to $101.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ameren presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $99.33.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AEE traded up $0.48 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $98.76. 194,097 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,584,096. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $98.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $93.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.45. Ameren has a 52 week low of $69.39 and a 52 week high of $104.10.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.83 by ($0.06). Ameren had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 10.34%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Ameren will post 4.93 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Craig S. Ivey sold 2,716 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.27, for a total value of $266,901.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 14,495 shares in the company, valued at $1,424,423.65. This represents a 15.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Shawn E. Schukar sold 4,743 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.79, for a total transaction of $492,275.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 57,486 shares in the company, valued at $5,966,471.94. This trade represents a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,959 shares of company stock worth $1,316,712 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Ameren by 0.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 489,935 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,849,000 after buying an additional 1,856 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Ameren during the 3rd quarter valued at $215,000. Tudor Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Ameren in the third quarter worth $463,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Ameren during the third quarter worth $74,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ameren by 6.1% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 331,801 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,019,000 after purchasing an additional 19,217 shares during the period. 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.

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