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

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) had its target price hoisted by BMO Capital Markets from $106.00 to $108.00 in a research note released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the utilities provider's stock.

A number of other research firms have also commented on AEE. Evercore ISI upgraded Ameren from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $89.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Ameren in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Ameren from $102.00 to $101.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Ameren in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Ameren from $106.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $99.89.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AEE traded down $1.89 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $97.66. 2,312,836 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,582,933. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.51. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $98.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.66. Ameren has a 52 week low of $69.39 and a 52 week high of $104.10.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.92 billion. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 15.51%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.98 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Ameren will post 4.93 EPS for the current year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were given a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. This is an increase from Ameren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. Ameren's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.97%.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In other news, insider Shawn E. Schukar sold 4,743 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.79, for a total value of $492,275.97. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 57,486 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,966,471.94. The trade was a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Craig S. Ivey sold 2,716 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 14,495 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,424,423.65. The trade was a 15.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,959 shares of company stock worth $1,316,712. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Ameren

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ameren in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new stake in Ameren in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Ameren during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Ameren by 74.5% in the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 349 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Ameren Company Profile

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.