Symmetry Partners LLC Decreases Stake in Ameren Corporation $AEE

Symmetry Partners LLC lowered its position in Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE) by 5.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,265 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 199 shares during the period. Symmetry Partners LLC’s holdings in Ameren were worth $314,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEE. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in Ameren in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in Ameren by 600.0% in the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 343 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. SouthState Corp purchased a new position in shares of Ameren during the 1st quarter worth $34,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ameren by 74.5% during the 1st quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 349 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ameren by 586.9% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 419 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 358 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of AEE opened at $102.08 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $100.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $98.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The company has a market capitalization of $27.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.47. Ameren Corporation has a 52-week low of $85.27 and a 52-week high of $104.10.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.01. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.38% and a net margin of 14.55%.The company had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.97 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 31.2% on a year-over-year basis. Ameren has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.850-5.050 EPS. Research analysts predict that Ameren Corporation will post 4.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 9th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Ameren from $105.00 to $104.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. KeyCorp set a $104.00 price objective on shares of Ameren and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Ameren from $104.00 to $100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Ameren from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $91.00 to $100.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Ameren from $111.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Gwendolyn G. Mizell sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.79, for a total transaction of $101,790.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 9,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $929,240.91. This represents a 9.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.