MQS Management LLC Invests $472,000 in Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE)

MQS Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 4,700 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $472,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of Ameren by 94.3% during the 1st quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 754 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. lifted its stake in Ameren by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 36,268 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,641,000 after acquiring an additional 752 shares in the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Ameren during the 1st quarter valued at about $253,000. CFC Planning Co LLC boosted its holdings in Ameren by 31.6% during the 1st quarter. CFC Planning Co LLC now owns 3,669 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $368,000 after acquiring an additional 882 shares during the period. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Ameren by 1.0% during the first quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 73,187 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $7,348,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of Ameren stock opened at $96.16 on Monday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $96.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $96.33. Ameren Corporation has a twelve month low of $72.33 and a twelve month 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 stock has a market capitalization of $25.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.32, a PEG ratio of 2.81 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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by ($0.01). Ameren had a net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 10.40%. The company had revenue of $2.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. Ameren's quarterly revenue was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ameren Corporation will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were paid a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.95%. Ameren's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Ameren from $102.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Ameren in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Ameren from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $91.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Ameren from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Ameren from $111.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Five investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $101.27.

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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