Natixis Advisors L.P. Boosts Stock Holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Natixis Advisors L.P. raised its stake in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 21.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 284,774 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 49,864 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. owned approximately 0.11% of Ameren worth $20,600,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEE. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ameren during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Ameren by 124.5% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 624 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. Concord Wealth Partners grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 64.9% in the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 620 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the period. CNB Bank grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 46.7% in the 3rd quarter. CNB Bank now owns 641 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 93.7% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 703 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 340 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ameren Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of AEE traded down $0.18 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $73.91. The stock had a trading volume of 1,886,051 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,732,641. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $72.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.59. Ameren Co. has a 12-month low of $67.03 and a 12-month high of $90.72. The firm has a market cap of $19.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.44.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The utilities provider reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($0.08). Ameren had a net margin of 15.84% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The company had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.19 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.00 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Ameren Co. will post 4.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 13th were paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.63%. This is an increase from Ameren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 12th. Ameren's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 246,434 shares in the company, valued at $17,422,883.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Ameren news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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 accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of 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. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America upped their price target on Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Barclays lowered their price target on Ameren from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 15th. StockNews.com cut Ameren from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Ameren from $76.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Ameren in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set a "sell" rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $79.90.

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.