Yousif Capital Management LLC Grows Stock Position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Yousif Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 24.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 41,795 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 8,282 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC's holdings in Ameren were worth $4,196,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ameren in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Ameren in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in Ameren during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. boosted its position in Ameren by 78.7% during the fourth quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 470 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Ameren Price Performance

NYSE AEE traded down $1.65 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $95.52. 1,349,986 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,575,205. The company has a market capitalization of $25.82 billion, a PE ratio of 21.61, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Ameren Co. has a 52-week low of $69.39 and a 52-week high of $104.10. The firm's 50-day moving average is $97.24 and its 200-day moving average is $95.65.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.01). Ameren had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 15.51%. 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 firm earned $0.98 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Ameren Co. will post 4.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.97%. Ameren's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $114.00 target price (up from $113.00) on shares of Ameren in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Ameren from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Ameren from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $103.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Ameren from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Ameren in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.