Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Cuts Stock Holdings in Ameren Corporation $AEE

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA trimmed its position in shares of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,997,144 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 62,235 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned approximately 0.74% of Ameren worth $199,435,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AEE. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in Ameren by 285.5% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 266 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. purchased a new stake in Ameren in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Ameren by 6,040.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 307 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its holdings in Ameren by 6,080.0% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 309 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wiser Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in Ameren in the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. 79.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ameren Price Performance

Ameren stock opened at $111.97 on Tuesday. Ameren Corporation has a 52-week low of $93.27 and a 52-week high of $115.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.93, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $110.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $105.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.01. Ameren had a net margin of 16.55% and a return on equity of 10.69%. The business had revenue of $1.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.77 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ameren Corporation will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 10th. This is a positive change from Ameren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Ameren's payout ratio is currently 56.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AEE shares. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Ameren from $104.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of Ameren in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Mizuho set a $117.00 price target on shares of Ameren in a report on Friday, February 13th. Argus boosted their price target on shares of Ameren from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ameren from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold 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 $117.31.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In other news, insider Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.60, for a total transaction of $673,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 193,076 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,002,673.60. The trade was a 3.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Ameren Profile

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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