Natixis Advisors LLC Has $6.05 Million Holdings in Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE)

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Ameren Corporation by 7.7% during the first quarter, acquiring an additional 4,303 shares, which brought the total to 60,266 shares valued at approximately $6.05 million.
• Ameren reported earnings of $1.01 per share in its most recent quarter, beating estimates and showing a revenue increase of 31.2% year-over-year, totaling $2.22 billion.
• A recent dividend of $0.71 per share was declared, representing an annualized dividend of $2.84 and a yield of 2.8%, with a payout ratio currently at 62.42%.

Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 7.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 60,266 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,303 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in Ameren were worth $6,051,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEE. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in Ameren in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Ameren during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. ORG Partners LLC increased its holdings in Ameren by 74.5% during the 1st quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 349 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in Ameren by 586.9% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 419 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. lifted its stake in Ameren by 78.7% in the 4th 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 owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AEE. UBS Group raised their price objective on Ameren from $111.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Ameren from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Ameren in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Ameren from $104.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Ameren from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given 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 a consensus price target of $101.36.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AEE traded down $0.91 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $101.41. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,006,090 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,502,207. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.80. Ameren Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $78.91 and a fifty-two week high of $104.10. The business's 50 day moving average price is $97.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $97.57. The company has a market cap of $27.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.45.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.82 billion. Ameren had a net margin of 14.55% and a return on equity of 10.38%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 31.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.97 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Ameren Corporation will post 4.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.