L & S Advisors Inc Takes $2.71 Million Position in Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE)

Key Points

• L & S Advisors Inc has acquired a new stake in Ameren Corporation, purchasing 26,961 shares valued at approximately $2.71 million.
• Ameren recently reported earnings of $1.01 per share, exceeding analyst expectations, with revenues up 31.2% year-over-year, totaling $2.22 billion.
• The company announced a dividend of $0.71 per share, representing a 2.8% annual yield, and reflecting a payout ratio of 62.97%.

L & S Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 26,961 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,707,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AEE. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Ameren in the first quarter valued at $239,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in Ameren by 3.7% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 55,237 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,546,000 after acquiring an additional 1,977 shares during the period. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. grew its position in Ameren by 423.7% in the first quarter. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. now owns 4,959 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $498,000 after acquiring an additional 4,012 shares during the period. Blueshift Asset Management LLC grew its position in Ameren by 58.6% in the first quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC now owns 5,435 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $546,000 after acquiring an additional 2,009 shares during the period. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Ameren in the first quarter valued at $8,256,000. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AEE opened at $102.15 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.45. Ameren Corporation has a 1-year low of $78.91 and a 1-year high of $104.10. 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 business has a 50-day moving average price of $96.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $97.33.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.01. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.43% and a net margin of 14.55%. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.97 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 31.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Ameren Corporation will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 10th. Ameren's payout ratio is 62.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AEE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Ameren from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price target for the company from $91.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. UBS Group upped their price target on Ameren from $111.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Barclays decreased 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. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Ameren from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, KeyCorp set a $104.00 target price on Ameren and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.

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