Horizon Investment Services LLC Boosts Stock Position in Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE)

Horizon Investment Services LLC lifted its stake in Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 41.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,239 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 7,682 shares during the period. Ameren makes up about 1.3% of Horizon Investment Services LLC's holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Horizon Investment Services LLC's holdings in Ameren were worth $2,634,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AEE. Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren in the first quarter worth $204,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Ameren by 6.0% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,926 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,699,000 after buying an additional 963 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in Ameren by 1,732.4% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 3,068,505 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $273,527,000 after purchasing an additional 2,901,047 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC raised its position in Ameren by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 131,200 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $11,695,000 after purchasing an additional 14,121 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in Ameren by 35.0% during the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 6,201 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $623,000 after purchasing an additional 1,607 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ameren Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of AEE stock traded up $0.36 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $100.28. 314,892 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,746,587. Ameren Corporation has a 1 year low of $76.95 and a 1 year high of $104.10. The company's 50 day moving average is $96.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $96.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. The firm has a market cap of $27.10 billion, a PE ratio of 22.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.48.

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

Ameren Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th were paid a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.83%. Ameren's payout ratio is currently 62.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEE has been the topic of a number of research reports. KeyCorp set a $104.00 price target on Ameren and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Ameren from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Ameren from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price target for the company from $91.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Ameren from $102.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, UBS Group set a $114.00 price objective on Ameren and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Five investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $101.36.

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.