Ameren Corporation $AEE Shares Bought by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Key Points

• Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Ameren by 245.1% in Q4, buying 62,173 shares to hold 87,543 shares valued at about $8.81 million.
• Ameren raised its quarterly dividend to $0.75 (annualized $3.00), implying a ~2.8% yield with an ex-dividend date of March 10.
• Insider Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares at about $103.60 on Feb. 2 (≈$673,400), reducing his ownership by 3.26% to 193,076 shares.

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 245.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 87,543 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 62,173 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Ameren were worth $8,808,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in Ameren by 285.5% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 266 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. acquired a new stake in Ameren in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. lifted 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. Wiser Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in Ameren in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ameren during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ameren news, insider Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.60, for a total transaction of $673,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 193,076 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,002,673.60. This trade represents a 3.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ameren Stock Performance

Ameren stock opened at $108.52 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $108.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $104.11. The stock has a market cap of $30.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.46. Ameren Corporation has a 1-year low of $91.77 and a 1-year high of $113.93.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.69 billion. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.69% and a net margin of 16.55%.The firm's quarterly revenue was down 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.77 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Ameren Corporation will post 4.93 EPS for the current year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. This is an increase from Ameren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Ameren's payout ratio is presently 56.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AEE has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Argus upped their price target on Ameren from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $116.00 price objective on shares of Ameren in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $116.00 target price on Ameren in a report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Ameren in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Mizuho set a $117.00 price target on Ameren in a report on Friday, February 13th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $113.45.

About Ameren

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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