Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Makes New Investment in Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI purchased a new position in shares of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 6,662 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $669,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren during the first quarter worth about $366,000. Trust Investment Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren during the first quarter worth about $221,000. Summit X LLC raised its position in shares of Ameren by 1.0% during the first quarter. Summit X LLC now owns 21,162 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,124,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. raised its position in Ameren by 13.6% in the 1st quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 5,856 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $588,000 after buying an additional 699 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tectonic Advisors LLC raised its position in Ameren by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 6,578 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $660,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Ameren Stock Performance

AEE traded up $1.36 during trading on Friday, hitting $98.64. The stock had a trading volume of 1,383,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,591,193. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $96.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $96.54. The firm has a market cap of $26.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.48. Ameren Corporation has a one year low of $74.87 and a one year high of $104.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

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

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. Ameren's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.97%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on AEE shares. KeyCorp set a $104.00 target price on Ameren and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Ameren from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $91.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Ameren from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Ameren from $102.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, UBS Group set a $114.00 price target on Ameren and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $101.36.

Ameren Company 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.