Morgan Stanley Has Lowered Expectations for Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Stock Price

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) had its target price cut by Morgan Stanley from $88.00 to $86.00 in a report issued on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on AEE. Barclays upped their target price 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. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Ameren in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $97.00 target price for the company. Argus upgraded shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $87.90.

Ameren Stock Down 0.2 %

AEE opened at $93.80 on Friday. Ameren has a one year low of $67.03 and a one year high of $94.46. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $88.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $80.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.41.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. Ameren’s payout ratio is 63.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the firm’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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 205,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,906,507.65. This trade represents a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total value of $131,923.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,432 shares in the company, valued at $3,640,758.08. The trade was a 3.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ameren

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ameren by 22.9% in the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 7,297 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $540,000 after buying an additional 1,361 shares during the period. Natixis purchased a new stake in Ameren in the first quarter worth about $91,000. Shell Asset Management Co. lifted its holdings in Ameren by 183.4% in the first quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 7,643 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $565,000 after buying an additional 4,946 shares during the period. EntryPoint Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Ameren by 108.1% in the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 435 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Ameren by 10.8% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $618,000 after buying an additional 817 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.