InvesTrust Invests $359,000 in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

InvesTrust bought a new position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 4,008 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $359,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its stake in Ameren by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 8,513 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $745,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its position in Ameren by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 4,786 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $427,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems raised its position in Ameren by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 20,095 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,429,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC lifted its stake in Ameren by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $272,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the period. Finally, Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 9,803 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $697,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ameren Price Performance

AEE traded up $0.49 on Wednesday, hitting $88.45. 466,880 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 941,419. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $90.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $84.46. The stock has a market cap of $23.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. Ameren Co. has a fifty-two week low of $67.03 and a fifty-two week high of $95.69.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 11th were given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.03%. Ameren’s payout ratio is 63.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 205,171 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,906,507.65. The trade was a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Ameren from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded shares of Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.89.

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.