Mutual of America Capital Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 11.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 70,466 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 7,155 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Ameren were worth $5,098,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ameren by 245.5% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 56,575 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,093,000 after buying an additional 40,202 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ameren during the fourth quarter worth $1,168,000. Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in Ameren by 34.7% in the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 142,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $10,272,000 after purchasing an additional 36,611 shares during the period. Schrum Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ameren in the third quarter valued at $473,000. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in Ameren by 1.1% in the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 1,637,693 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $122,549,000 after purchasing an additional 17,468 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In related news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total value of $513,989.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 246,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,422,883.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total value of $115,241.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 47,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,385,328.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total value of $513,989.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 246,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,422,883.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AEE shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Ameren from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Barclays lifted their target price on Ameren from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Ameren from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 18th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Ameren in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $73.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $79.50.

Ameren Stock Down 0.4 %

AEE opened at $71.76 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $71.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $73.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.65. Ameren Co. has a one year low of $67.03 and a one year high of $91.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.44.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by ($0.01). Ameren had a return on equity of 10.42% and a net margin of 15.36%. The firm had revenue of $1.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.63 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 20.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Ameren Co. will post 4.59 EPS for the current year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 12th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.73%. This is a boost from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Ameren’s payout ratio is 61.33%.

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.