3,031 Shares in Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE) Acquired by Silver Oak Securities Incorporated

Silver Oak Securities Incorporated acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 3,031 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $302,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Ameren in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Ameren during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ameren during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Optiver Holding B.V. increased its holdings in shares of Ameren by 78.7% in the fourth quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 470 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ameren by 49.4% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 538 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Ameren Stock Performance

Ameren stock opened at $94.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.49. Ameren Corporation has a 1-year low of $69.39 and a 1-year high of $104.10. The company's 50-day moving average is $97.14 and its 200 day moving average is $95.66.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by ($0.01). Ameren had a net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 10.40%. The business had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.98 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Ameren Corporation will post 4.93 EPS for the current year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.01%. Ameren's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AEE has been the topic of a number of research reports. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Ameren in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $114.00 price target (up previously from $113.00) on shares of Ameren in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Ameren from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Ameren from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Ameren from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ameren currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $101.80.

Ameren 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.

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