Short Interest in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Decreases By 9.1%

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,320,000 shares, a decline of 9.1% from the March 15th total of 4,750,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,840,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In related news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total transaction of $513,989.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 246,434 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,422,883.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total value of $513,989.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 246,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,422,883.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total value of $115,241.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 47,883 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,385,328.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Ameren in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Penserra Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ameren in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Ameren by 218.2% during the 3rd quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 350 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Ameren during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Ameren in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ameren Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:AEE traded down $0.18 during trading on Monday, hitting $71.58. 1,212,037 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,804,917. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $71.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.38, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.44. Ameren has a 12-month low of $67.03 and a 12-month high of $91.18.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.61 by ($0.01). Ameren had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 10.42%. The company had revenue of $1.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.63 EPS. The business's revenue was down 20.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Ameren will post 4.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 13th were paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 12th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.74%. This is a boost from Ameren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Ameren's payout ratio is currently 61.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on AEE shares. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $72.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 18th. StockNews.com lowered Ameren from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Ameren from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, December 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Ameren in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $79.40.

About Ameren

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.