Parkside Financial Bank & Trust Reduces Stock Position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Parkside Financial Bank & Trust trimmed its holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,866 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 207 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust’s holdings in Ameren were worth $207,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEE. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Ameren during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in Ameren during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Ameren during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 346 shares during the period. Finally, Concord Wealth Partners lifted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 64.9% in the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 244 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ameren Stock Up 0.9 %

AEE traded up $0.64 on Wednesday, hitting $74.66. 208,111 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,739,762. Ameren Co. has a 12 month low of $67.03 and a 12 month high of $91.18. The company has a market cap of $19.90 billion, a PE ratio of 16.94, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.65. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $72.06 and its 200-day moving average is $73.53.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.61 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $1.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.03 billion. Ameren had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 10.42%. Ameren’s quarterly revenue was down 20.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.63 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Ameren Co. will post 4.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 13th were given a $0.67 dividend. This is an increase from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 12th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.59%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.33%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 246,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,422,883.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Ameren news, 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 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 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 $513,989.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 246,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,422,883.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AEE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Ameren in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set a “sell” rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com lowered Ameren from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Ameren from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Barclays decreased their price target on Ameren from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $79.40.

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.