Transce3nd LLC Sells 3,788 Shares of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE)

Transce3nd LLC lessened its stake in Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 63.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,168 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 3,788 shares during the quarter. Transce3nd LLC's holdings in Ameren were worth $218,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Ameren in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Ameren by 74.5% in the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 349 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in Ameren by 586.9% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 419 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares during the period. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in Ameren in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. lifted its holdings in Ameren by 78.7% during the 4th quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 470 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ameren Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of AEE stock traded up $1.36 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $98.64. 1,383,383 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,591,193. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.86. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $96.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $96.54. Ameren Corporation has a one year low of $74.87 and a one year high of $104.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.48.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.07 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.92 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.98 EPS. Ameren's revenue was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Ameren Corporation will post 4.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were given a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.88%. Ameren's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on AEE shares. KeyCorp set a $104.00 target price on Ameren and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Ameren from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Ameren from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $91.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. UBS Group set a $114.00 target price on Ameren and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Ameren from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $101.36.

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.