VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Makes New Investment in Ameren Corporation $AEE

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems made a new investment in Ameren Corporation, acquiring 8,000 shares valued at approximately $768,000 during the 2nd quarter.
• Ameren Corporation reported strong quarterly earnings, with $1.01 EPS and revenue of $2.22 billion, exceeding estimates and reflecting a 31.2% increase from the previous year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.71 to be paid on December 31st, representing an annualized yield of 2.7%.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 8,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $768,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AEE. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ameren by 600.0% in the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 343 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. SouthState Corp bought a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ameren by 586.9% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 419 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 358 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AEE opened at $104.28 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $28.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.92, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.49. Ameren Corporation has a 12 month low of $85.27 and a 12 month high of $106.73. The firm's 50-day moving average is $101.90 and its 200 day moving average is $99.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Ameren had a net margin of 14.55% and a return on equity of 10.38%. The firm's revenue was up 31.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.97 EPS. Ameren has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.850-5.050 EPS. Research analysts predict that Ameren Corporation will post 4.93 EPS for the current year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 9th will be paid a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 9th. Ameren's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AEE has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Ameren from $111.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Ameren from $104.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays set a $113.00 target price on shares of Ameren in a report on Tuesday. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Ameren from $104.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Ameren in a report on Friday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $108.63.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ameren news, SVP Gwendolyn G. Mizell sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.79, for a total value of $101,790.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 9,129 shares in the company, valued at $929,240.91. This represents a 9.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ameren Company 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AEE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.