Magnetar Financial LLC Invests $3.52 Million in Ameren Corporation $AEE

Key Points

• Magnetar Financial LLC acquired 35,068 shares of Ameren Corporation, valued at approximately $3.52 million, indicating a significant new investment in the utilities sector.
• Ameren reported a strong quarterly earnings of $1.01 per share, exceeding analyst expectations, with revenue reaching $2.22 billion, up 31.2% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.71, representing an annual yield of 2.8%, reflecting its commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 35,068 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,521,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren during the 1st quarter worth approximately $204,000. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren during the 1st quarter worth approximately $897,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren during the 1st quarter worth approximately $13,552,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Ameren by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,926 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,699,000 after purchasing an additional 963 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its holdings in Ameren by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,741 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $275,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Ameren Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE:AEE traded down $0.09 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $99.69. 1,639,693 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,706,864. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. Ameren Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $82.12 and a fifty-two week high of $104.10. The company has a market capitalization of $26.96 billion, a PE ratio of 21.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $99.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $98.21.

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

Ameren Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In related news, SVP Gwendolyn G. Mizell sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.79, for a total transaction of $101,790.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 9,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at $929,240.91. This trade represents a 9.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on AEE. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Ameren from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Ameren from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Ameren from $104.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. KeyCorp set a $104.00 target price on shares of Ameren and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of 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 report on Wednesday, June 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $102.80.

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.