Reaves W H & Co. Inc. Sells 328,566 Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Reaves W H & Co. Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 33.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 643,489 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 328,566 shares during the period. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. owned about 0.24% of Ameren worth $46,550,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Ameren by 245.5% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 56,575 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,093,000 after acquiring an additional 40,202 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in Ameren during the fourth quarter worth about $1,168,000. Raymond James & Associates increased its position in shares of Ameren by 34.7% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 142,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $10,272,000 after acquiring an additional 36,611 shares during the last quarter. Schrum Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ameren in the third quarter valued at approximately $473,000. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in Ameren by 1.1% in the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 1,637,693 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $122,549,000 after acquiring an additional 17,468 shares during the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In related news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the business's 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 in the company, valued at approximately $17,422,883.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 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 transaction of $513,989.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 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 $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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ameren Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:AEE traded down $0.37 on Friday, reaching $74.40. 2,282,483 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,329,275. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $73.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. Ameren Co. has a 52 week low of $67.03 and a 52 week high of $89.94.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 9th. The utilities provider reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.00 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Ameren Co. will post 4.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. Ameren's dividend payout ratio is presently 61.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on AEE shares. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Ameren from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. 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 on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Ameren from $76.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com raised Ameren from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $79.90.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AEE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.