Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Shares Sold by USS Investment Management Ltd

USS Investment Management Ltd lessened its stake in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 40.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 45,839 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 31,625 shares during the period. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Ameren were worth $4,088,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AEE. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Ameren by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 489,935 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,849,000 after buying an additional 1,856 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its holdings in Ameren by 24.7% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 4,594 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 910 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Ameren by 14.3% in the fourth quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,912 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $349,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the period. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Ameren by 57.0% in the fourth quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,929 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. Finally, Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in Ameren in the fourth quarter worth $84,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Ameren Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of AEE traded down $1.25 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $95.44. 190,497 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,559,191. Ameren Co. has a 52 week low of $69.39 and a 52 week 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 company's 50 day moving average is $97.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $95.33. The company has a market capitalization of $25.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.57, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.51.

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

Ameren Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. Ameren's payout ratio is currently 62.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays increased their target price on Ameren from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. KeyCorp upgraded Ameren from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $103.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. UBS Group increased their target price on Ameren from $106.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Ameren from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Ameren from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $101.90.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In related news, insider Shawn E. Schukar sold 4,743 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.79, for a total transaction of $492,275.97. Following the sale, the insider now owns 57,486 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,966,471.94. This trade represents a 7.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 5,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.37, for a total value of $557,535.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 43,344 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,393,781.28. The trade was a 11.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.