Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Lowers Position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA reduced its holdings in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,611,510 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 26,309 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned approximately 0.61% of Ameren worth $116,577,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Ameren by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,824,791 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $211,379,000 after buying an additional 101,023 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Ameren by 1.2% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,430,398 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $181,867,000 after purchasing an additional 29,921 shares in the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec raised its position in shares of Ameren by 30.4% in the third quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 2,286,264 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $171,081,000 after purchasing an additional 532,800 shares during the period. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Ameren by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 1,764,675 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $127,657,000 after buying an additional 11,705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in Ameren by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 1,637,693 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $122,549,000 after buying an additional 17,468 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AEE traded down $0.43 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $74.90. 2,781,758 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,789,222. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.97 billion, a PE ratio of 17.28, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.59 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 $88.72. The company's 50 day moving average price is $73.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.28.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 9th. The utilities provider reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.06 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.19 billion. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 15.84%. Ameren's revenue for the quarter was down 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.00 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ameren Co. will post 4.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 12th will be paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 12th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.58%. Ameren's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on AEE shares. Barclays dropped their target price 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 raised their target price on Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Ameren in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set a "sell" rating and a $73.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Ameren from $76.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Ameren from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $79.90.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In other 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now 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 can be accessed through this link. 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 in the company, valued at approximately $17,422,883.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was 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 approximately $3,385,328.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ameren 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.