Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Shares Purchased by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Free Report) by 5.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 268,727 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 13,971 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.10% of Ameren worth $19,797,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Ameren during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its position in Ameren by 124.5% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 624 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the period. CNB Bank increased its position in Ameren by 46.7% during the 3rd quarter. CNB Bank now owns 641 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank raised its holdings in shares of Ameren by 96.7% in the 4th quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 773 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Ameren from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Ameren in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They set a "sell" rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America raised their price objective on Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ameren from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Ameren from $76.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a 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 issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ameren currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $79.90.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AEE traded down $0.16 on Friday, hitting $74.74. 1,826,320 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,789,608. The company has a current ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $73.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.29. Ameren Co. has a 1-year low of $67.03 and a 1-year high of $88.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.44.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The utilities provider reported $0.98 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $1.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.00 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Ameren Co. will post 4.59 EPS for the current 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 issued a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 12th. Ameren's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.61%.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In related 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 $17,422,883.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was 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 $17,422,883.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 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 value of $115,241.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 47,883 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,385,328.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

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.