Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Price Target Raised to $81.00 at BMO Capital Markets

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) had its target price increased by stock analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $76.00 to $81.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ target price indicates a potential upside of 8.93% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on AEE. Bank of America lifted their target price on Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Barclays reduced their target price on Ameren from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 15th. StockNews.com cut Ameren from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Ameren in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They set a “sell” rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $79.90.

Ameren Price Performance

NYSE:AEE opened at $74.36 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $72.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $73.32. The stock has a market cap of $19.82 billion, a PE ratio of 17.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.44. Ameren has a 52 week low of $67.03 and a 52 week high of $90.72.

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

Insider Activity at Ameren

In related news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was 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 $3,385,328.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 246,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,422,883.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 47,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,385,328.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AEE. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of Ameren by 117.6% during the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ameren during the first quarter worth $30,000. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. increased its position in shares of Ameren by 73.8% during the fourth quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 478 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its position in shares of Ameren by 163.6% in the 1st quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 514 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 319 shares during the period. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ameren in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors own 79.09% 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.