Gateway Investment Advisers LLC reduced its stake in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 8.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 387,032 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 38,003 shares during the quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC owned approximately 0.14% of Ameren worth $38,858,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Ameren in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ameren in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Ameren during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in Ameren during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. boosted its stake in Ameren by 78.7% in the fourth quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 470 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Ameren Trading Up 0.0%
Shares of NYSE:AEE opened at $96.03 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. Ameren Co. has a 52-week low of $69.39 and a 52-week high of $104.10. The stock has a market cap of $25.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.73, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.49. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $97.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $95.57.
Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.92 billion. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 15.51%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.98 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Ameren Co. will post 4.93 EPS for the current year.
Ameren Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be paid a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.96%. Ameren's payout ratio is 62.97%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AEE. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $114.00 price target (up from $113.00) on shares of Ameren in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Ameren from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Guggenheim reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Ameren in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. KeyCorp upgraded Ameren from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $103.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $102.00 price objective on shares of Ameren and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $102.00.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on AEE
About Ameren
(
Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
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