Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 512,782 Shares of Ameren Corporation $AEE

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management sharply reduced its Ameren position in the first quarter, selling 512,782 shares and cutting its stake by 98.9% to just 5,943 shares worth about $653,000.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on Ameren, with nine analysts rating it a Buy and four Hold ratings, giving it a consensus Moderate Buy and an average price target of $119.42.
• Ameren reported solid quarterly results and a dividend, posting EPS of $1.28 versus estimates of $1.17 and paying a quarterly dividend of $0.75 per share, equivalent to a 2.6% annual yield.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. decreased its position in shares of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 98.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,943 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 512,782 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in Ameren were worth $653,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in Ameren by 285.5% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 266 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ameren in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Ameren by 6,040.0% in the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 307 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Ameren by 6,080.0% in the fourth 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. Finally, Wiser Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in Ameren in the third quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Ameren from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $115.00 target price on shares of Ameren in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ameren from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Ameren from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, May 25th. Finally, BTIG Research assumed coverage on Ameren in a report on Thursday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $131.00 price objective for the company. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $119.42.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Ameren Stock Up 2.5%

AEE stock opened at $114.97 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.82 billion, a PE ratio of 20.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.47. Ameren Corporation has a 52 week low of $94.20 and a 52 week high of $118.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $110.07 and a 200 day moving average of $107.82.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $2.18 billion for 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%. Ameren's revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.07 EPS. Ameren has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.250-5.450 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ameren Corporation will post 5.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Ameren's payout ratio is currently 53.96%.

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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