Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Shares Sold by Toronto Dominion Bank

Toronto Dominion Bank lessened its position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 18.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 95,433 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 22,239 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank's holdings in Ameren were worth $8,507,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ameren during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Ameren during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Ameren during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. boosted its position 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 buying an additional 207 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group upped their price target on Ameren from $106.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Ameren from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Ameren in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Ameren from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Ameren from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Four equities 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $101.90.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Shawn E. Schukar sold 4,743 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 57,486 shares in the company, valued at $5,966,471.94. The trade was a 7.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 5,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.37, for a total value of $557,535.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 43,344 shares in the company, valued at $4,393,781.28. This represents a 11.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Ameren Stock Performance

AEE traded up $0.93 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $96.33. 1,451,852 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,566,913. The stock has a market cap of $26.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.51. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $98.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $95.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Ameren Co. has a 12 month low of $69.39 and a 12 month high of $104.10.

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

Ameren Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be paid a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.95%. Ameren's payout ratio is currently 62.97%.

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.