Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE) Stock Holdings Increased by Virtu Financial LLC

Key Points

• Virtu Financial LLC has significantly increased its stake in Ameren Corporation by 332.7%, acquiring an additional 9,798 shares, bringing its total holdings to 12,743 shares valued at $1,279,000.
• Several other institutional investors have also increased their positions in Ameren, with 79.09% of the company's stock now owned by institutional investors.
• Ameren Corporation reported $1.01 EPS for the last quarter, surpassing expectations, and the company experienced a 31.2% year-over-year revenue increase, totaling $2.22 billion.

Virtu Financial LLC increased its holdings in Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 332.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,743 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 9,798 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC's holdings in Ameren were worth $1,279,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ameren in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Ameren in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 74.5% in the 1st quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 349 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted 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 valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 358 shares during the period. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. boosted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 78.7% in the 4th quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 470 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 207 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AEE traded down $0.70 during trading on Friday, reaching $100.73. The company had a trading volume of 559,952 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,719,635. The firm's fifty day moving average is $97.72 and its 200 day moving average is $97.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.24 billion, a PE ratio of 22.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.45. Ameren Corporation has a twelve month low of $81.31 and a twelve month high of $104.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.80.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.01. Ameren had a net margin of 14.55% and a return on equity of 10.38%. The company had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.97 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 31.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ameren Corporation will post 4.93 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Ameren from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $91.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Ameren from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Ameren from $111.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Guggenheim reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Ameren in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Ameren from $104.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Five research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $101.36.

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.