National Bank of Canada FI Has $5.18 Million Stock Holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

National Bank of Canada FI decreased its holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 20.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 70,049 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 18,128 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI's holdings in Ameren were worth $5,184,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AEE. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren during the third quarter worth $40,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its holdings in 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 during the period. CNB Bank lifted its stake in Ameren by 46.7% during the third quarter. CNB Bank now owns 641 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Ameren by 93.7% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 703 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank raised its holdings in shares of Ameren by 96.7% during the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 773 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 380 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Ameren Stock Down 0.5 %

AEE traded down $0.37 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $74.40. 2,286,300 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,431,824. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $73.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $73.34. Ameren Co. has a one year low of $67.03 and a one year high of $89.94. The company has a market cap of $19.84 billion, a PE ratio of 17.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.40.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 9th. The utilities provider reported $0.98 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. 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 research report on Thursday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Ameren in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set a "sell" rating and a $73.00 price target 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, May 6th. Barclays lowered their target price on Ameren from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Ameren from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $79.90.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 246,434 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,422,883.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of Ameren 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 246,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,422,883.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of the company'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 $115,241.00. Following the sale, 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 0.42% of the company's stock.

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.