Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Upgraded to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ameren (NYSE:AEE) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on AEE. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Ameren from $116.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Ameren from $118.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Ameren from $107.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Monday, October 26th. HSBC began coverage on shares of Ameren in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $119.10 price target for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Ameren from $113.00 to $115.00 in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ameren currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $117.95.

Ameren Price Performance

Ameren stock traded up $1.11 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $114.63. 1,641,133 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,832,901. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $105.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $108.77. The company has a market capitalization of $31.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.94, a PEG ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.42. Ameren has a 12-month low of $96.57 and a 12-month high of $118.32.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.13. Ameren had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 17.90%. The company had revenue of $2.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.17 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Ameren will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 8th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 8th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.17%.

Insider Activity

In other Ameren news, Director Rafael Flores sold 248 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.53, for a total value of $26,171.44. Following the sale, the director directly owned 13,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,465,600.64. This trade represents a 1.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.72, for a total value of $719,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 193,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,456,428.80. This trade represents a 3.25% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Ameren during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Continuum Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ameren in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ameren in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 195.0% in the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 354 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Premier Financial Group purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren during the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ameren Company Profile

Ameren Corporation is a regulated utility holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Through its subsidiaries, it provides electric and natural gas service to customers across Missouri and Illinois. Ameren Missouri generates, transmits and distributes electricity and delivers natural gas in parts of Missouri. Ameren Illinois operates electric transmission and distribution systems and provides natural gas delivery service in parts of Illinois. The company also develops and operates electric transmission infrastructure.