Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $16.44 Million Stock Holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 25.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 227,284 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 46,577 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.09% of Ameren worth $16,442,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEE. Stevens Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Ameren in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $433,000. Stack Financial Management Inc bought a new position in Ameren during the 4th quarter valued at $11,438,000. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in Ameren during the 4th quarter valued at $151,000. Duality Advisers LP acquired a new position in Ameren during the 4th quarter worth $1,756,000. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Ameren by 124.5% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 624 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Ameren in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set a "sell" rating and a $73.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Ameren from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Barclays dropped their price target on Ameren from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Ameren from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $79.40.

Ameren Stock Performance

Ameren stock traded down $1.16 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $74.09. 2,662,215 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,249,679. Ameren Co. has a one year low of $67.03 and a one year high of $90.72. The company has a market cap of $19.75 billion, a PE ratio of 17.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.44. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $72.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $73.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The utilities provider reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.30% and a net margin of 15.84%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.00 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ameren Co. will post 4.59 EPS for the current year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This is a boost from Ameren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 12th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.62%. Ameren's payout ratio is presently 61.61%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the company'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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 246,434 shares in the company, valued at $17,422,883.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Ameren news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at $3,385,328.10. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,422,883.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.