Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Grows Stock Holdings in Ameren Corporation $AEE

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management increased its stake in Ameren by 239.7% in the fourth quarter, ending with 92,993 shares worth about $9.29 million.
• Ameren reported Q1 earnings of $1.28 per share, topping analyst estimates, while revenue rose 3.8% year over year. The company also reaffirmed FY 2026 guidance of 5.25 to 5.45 EPS.
• The utility declared a quarterly dividend of $0.75 per share, or $3.00 annually, implying a 2.7% yield. Analysts remain constructive, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $117.54.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 239.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 92,993 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 65,614 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in Ameren were worth $9,286,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Allstate Corp acquired a new position in shares of Ameren during the third quarter worth $1,050,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Ameren during the third quarter worth $1,097,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd lifted its position in shares of Ameren by 104,698.0% during the third quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd now owns 1,370,758 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $143,091,000 after purchasing an additional 1,369,450 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ameren during the third quarter worth $4,868,000. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in shares of Ameren by 3.6% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 3,378,053 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $352,601,000 after purchasing an additional 116,819 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of AEE opened at $109.86 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $110.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.40 billion, a PE ratio of 19.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Ameren Corporation has a 52-week low of $93.50 and a 52-week high of $115.58.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.11. Ameren had a net margin of 17.17% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The company had revenue of $2.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.07 EPS. Ameren's revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. Ameren has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.250-5.450 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ameren Corporation will post 5.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. Ameren's dividend payout ratio is presently 53.96%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ameren news, SVP Theresa A. Shaw sold 325 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.08, for a total value of $35,451.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 32,618 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,557,971.44. This represents a 0.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on AEE. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Ameren from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ameren from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $120.00 to $126.00 in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $116.00 target price on shares of Ameren in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $110.00 target price on shares of Ameren in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Ameren from $126.00 to $121.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ameren has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $117.54.

About Ameren

Ameren Corporation NYSE: AEE is an integrated energy company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that provides electric and natural gas delivery and related services in portions of Missouri and Illinois. The company operates regulated utility businesses that serve a broad mix of residential, commercial and industrial customers, and it participates in wholesale energy markets and transmission operations that support reliable service across its service territories.

Ameren's core activities include generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, distribution of natural gas, and the provision of customer energy solutions such as demand-side management and energy efficiency programs.

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