Bank of Montreal Can Buys 185,173 Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 49.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 556,923 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 185,173 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can owned approximately 0.21% of Ameren worth $48,168,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Ameren by 115.3% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 1st quarter worth $31,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ameren by 227.3% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 3rd quarter worth $44,000. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 205,171 shares in the company, valued at $18,906,507.65. The trade was a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AEE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Argus raised Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Barclays raised their price target on Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Bank of America raised their price target on Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Ameren in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.90.

Ameren Price Performance

NYSE AEE opened at $94.98 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $88.58 and its 200 day moving average is $80.71. Ameren Co. has a fifty-two week low of $67.03 and a fifty-two week high of $95.69. The company has a market capitalization of $25.35 billion, a PE ratio of 22.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.63.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.82%. Ameren’s payout ratio is 63.06%.

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.