Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 26,876 Shares of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. trimmed its holdings in shares of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 37.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 44,437 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 26,876 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in Ameren were worth $4,461,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Ameren by 109.5% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 31,726 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,185,000 after acquiring an additional 16,585 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Ameren by 19.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,986 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $802,000 after purchasing an additional 1,312 shares during the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ameren by 24.7% in the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 41,795 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,196,000 after purchasing an additional 8,282 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Ameren by 7.7% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 5,597 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $563,000 after purchasing an additional 398 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its stake in Ameren by 9.2% in the first quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 51,634 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,184,000 after purchasing an additional 4,352 shares during the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of AEE stock traded down $0.39 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $94.42. The stock had a trading volume of 1,409,146 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,572,948. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $97.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $95.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.52 billion, a PE ratio of 20.26, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.49. Ameren Corporation has a 12 month low of $69.39 and a 12 month high of $104.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $2.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.92 billion. Ameren had a net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 10.40%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.98 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ameren Corporation will post 4.93 EPS for the current year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be paid a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. Ameren's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on AEE shares. KeyCorp upgraded Ameren from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $103.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $114.00 price objective (up from $113.00) on shares of Ameren in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price 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. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Ameren from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Ameren from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ameren presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $102.00.

About Ameren

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.