Ameren Corporation $AEE Shares Bought by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its Ameren stake by 116.3% in the fourth quarter, ending with 389,309 shares valued at about $38.9 million.
• Ameren has strong institutional ownership overall, with 79.09% of shares held by institutions and hedge funds. Several other investors also recently increased or initiated positions in the utility.
• Analysts remain mixed but generally positive: Ameren has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating, with a consensus price target of $117.54. The company also reported quarterly EPS of $1.28, beating estimates, and declared a $0.75 quarterly dividend.

BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 116.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 389,309 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 209,364 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned 0.14% of Ameren worth $38,876,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AEE. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in Ameren by 285.5% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 266 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Ameren by 6,040.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 307 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Ameren by 6,080.0% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 309 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ameren by 45.4% in the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 349 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wiser Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in Ameren in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AEE has been the subject of several research reports. BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Ameren in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $131.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ameren from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, May 25th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Ameren from $125.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Ameren from $126.00 to $121.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ameren from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $120.00 to $126.00 in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $117.54.

Ameren Price Performance

NYSE:AEE opened at $106.36 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $29.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $110.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $106.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Ameren Corporation has a 1-year low of $93.50 and a 1-year high of $115.58.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.17 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $2.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.24 billion. Ameren had a net margin of 17.17% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The firm's revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.07 EPS. Ameren has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.250-5.450 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Ameren Corporation will post 5.36 EPS for the current year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. Ameren's payout ratio is presently 53.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Theresa A. Shaw sold 325 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.08, for a total value of $35,451.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 32,618 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,557,971.44. The trade was a 0.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Ameren Profile

Ameren Corporation NYSE: AEE is an integrated energy company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that provides electric and natural gas delivery and related services in portions of Missouri and Illinois. The company operates regulated utility businesses that serve a broad mix of residential, commercial and industrial customers, and it participates in wholesale energy markets and transmission operations that support reliable service across its service territories.

Ameren's core activities include generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, distribution of natural gas, and the provision of customer energy solutions such as demand-side management and energy efficiency programs.

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