Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Sells 224,298 Shares of Ameren Corporation $AEE

Key Points

• The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board reduced its stake in Ameren Corporation by 45.1%, now holding 272,920 shares worth approximately $27.4 million.
• Ameren announced a quarterly dividend of $0.71 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 2.8%, with a dividend payout ratio of 62.42%.
• Analysts have mixed views on Ameren, with Goldman Sachs upgrading their rating to "neutral" and raising the price target from $91 to $100, while others set their targets as high as $112.

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board decreased its holdings in shares of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 45.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 272,920 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 224,298 shares during the quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned about 0.10% of Ameren worth $27,401,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ameren during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Ameren during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. SouthState Corp acquired a new stake in Ameren during the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. ORG Partners LLC increased its holdings in Ameren by 74.5% during the 1st quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 349 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Ameren by 586.9% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 419 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 358 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Ameren Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:AEE traded down $0.36 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $100.52. The company had a trading volume of 1,481,627 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,313,137. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The business's 50 day moving average price is $99.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $98.26. The stock has a market cap of $27.18 billion, a PE ratio of 22.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.47. Ameren Corporation has a 1-year low of $82.79 and a 1-year high of $104.10.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.38% and a net margin of 14.55%.The business's revenue was up 31.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.97 earnings per share. Ameren has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.850-5.050 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Ameren Corporation will post 4.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 9th will be given a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 9th. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Ameren's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AEE has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Ameren in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. UBS Group lifted their target price on Ameren from $111.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Barclays reduced their target price on Ameren from $104.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Ameren from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Ameren from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $91.00 to $100.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ameren presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $102.80.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In other news, SVP Gwendolyn G. Mizell sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.79, for a total value of $101,790.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 9,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $929,240.91. This represents a 9.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

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.