Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Holdings Raised by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 83.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 264,835 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 120,849 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.10% of Ameren worth $19,158,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp raised its position in Ameren by 0.7% in the third quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 20,487 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,533,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC raised its position in shares of Ameren by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 3,972 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $297,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Spirit of America Management Corp NY raised its stake in shares of Ameren by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Spirit of America Management Corp NY now owns 8,050 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $582,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. CNB Bank increased its stake in Ameren by 46.7% in the 3rd quarter. CNB Bank now owns 641 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFM Investors Pty Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Ameren by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 92,565 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $6,696,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Ameren Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:AEE traded up $0.45 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $75.33. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,345,712 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,778,664. Ameren Co. has a fifty-two week low of $67.03 and a fifty-two week high of $88.72. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $73.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.59. The company has a market capitalization of $20.09 billion, a PE ratio of 17.43, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.44.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The utilities provider reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($0.08). Ameren had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 15.84%. The business had revenue of $1.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.00 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ameren Co. will post 4.59 EPS for the current year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 12th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 12th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.56%. Ameren's dividend payout ratio is currently 61.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the business'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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 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 transaction of $115,241.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 47,883 shares in the company, valued at $3,385,328.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 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 $513,989.00. Following 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AEE shares. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Ameren in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set a "sell" rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. Barclays reduced their price objective on Ameren from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 15th. StockNews.com upgraded Ameren from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Ameren from $76.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.