Yousif Capital Management LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Yousif Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 5.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 46,100 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,703 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Ameren were worth $3,335,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new position in Ameren during the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ameren during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its stake in Ameren by 124.5% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 624 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 346 shares during the period. Concord Wealth Partners increased its holdings in Ameren by 64.9% in the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CNB Bank raised its position in Ameren by 46.7% during the third quarter. CNB Bank now owns 641 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of AEE stock opened at $73.66 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. Ameren Co. has a twelve month low of $67.03 and a twelve month high of $90.72. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $72.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.49. The stock has a market cap of $19.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.86, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.44.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.61 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.03 billion. Ameren had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 10.42%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 20.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.63 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ameren Co. will post 4.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 13th were given a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 12th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.64%. This is an increase from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Ameren’s payout ratio is currently 61.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Ameren from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Bank of America increased their target price on Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group began 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. StockNews.com lowered Ameren from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Ameren from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $79.40.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

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

About Ameren

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.