Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Makes New $6.73 Million Investment in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 75,488 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $6,729,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its stake in Ameren by 1,732.4% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 3,068,505 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $273,527,000 after acquiring an additional 2,901,047 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in Ameren by 96.5% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,170,709 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $460,917,000 after purchasing an additional 2,539,129 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Ameren by 16.7% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 17,038,754 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,518,835,000 after buying an additional 2,439,811 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Ameren by 116.0% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,357,876 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $210,181,000 after buying an additional 1,266,051 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in Ameren by 76.7% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,134,288 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $190,250,000 after buying an additional 926,126 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ameren Stock Performance

Ameren stock traded down $0.82 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $96.50. 2,089,188 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,560,316. Ameren Co. has a 12 month low of $69.39 and a 12 month high of $104.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $97.59 and a 200 day moving average of $95.52. The firm has a market cap of $26.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.83, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.49.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.92 billion. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 15.51%. Ameren's quarterly revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.98 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ameren Co. will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be issued a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. Ameren's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.97%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on AEE shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Ameren from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. KeyCorp raised Ameren from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $103.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Ameren from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Ameren from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Ameren in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Four investment 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $102.00.

Ameren Profile

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.