Van ECK Associates Corp Lowers Stock Position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Van ECK Associates Corp lowered its position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 62,621 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,118 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Ameren were worth $4,530,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Ameren in the third quarter worth $40,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Ameren by 124.5% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 624 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 346 shares during the period. Concord Wealth Partners boosted its holdings in Ameren by 64.9% in the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. CNB Bank boosted its stake in shares of Ameren by 46.7% during the 3rd quarter. CNB Bank now owns 641 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Ameren by 93.7% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 703 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In other news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of the firm’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 $115,241.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 47,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,385,328.10. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total transaction of $115,241.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 47,883 shares in the company, valued at $3,385,328.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 transaction of $513,989.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 246,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,422,883.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of AEE opened at $74.09 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.75 billion, a PE ratio of 17.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. Ameren Co. has a 12-month low of $67.03 and a 12-month high of $90.72. The business’s 50 day moving average is $72.75 and its 200 day moving average is $73.36.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The utilities provider reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 15.84%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.00 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Ameren Co. will post 4.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The firm 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. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.62%. This is a boost from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 12th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of 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 started coverage on Ameren in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They set a “sell” rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Ameren from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. StockNews.com cut Ameren from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Ameren from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ameren currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $79.40.

Ameren 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.