Barclays PLC Raises Stake in Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC)

Barclays PLC raised its position in Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC) by 9.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 64,941 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,693 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned 0.12% of Ameresco worth $1,525,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ameresco by 87.7% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 421,136 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,888,000 after purchasing an additional 196,776 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ameresco by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,184,264 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $74,767,000 after acquiring an additional 37,359 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Ameresco by 96.8% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 45,137 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,060,000 after acquiring an additional 22,197 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Ameresco by 29.8% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 321,982 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,560,000 after purchasing an additional 73,928 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Ameresco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,699,000. 99.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ameresco Stock Performance

Shares of AMRC opened at $12.02 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $631.54 million, a P/E ratio of 12.02, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.27. Ameresco, Inc. has a 1 year low of $8.49 and a 1 year high of $39.68. The company’s fifty day moving average is $11.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.37.

Ameresco (NYSE:AMRC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The utilities provider reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $532.67 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $524.31 million. Ameresco had a net margin of 3.18% and a return on equity of 5.68%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ameresco, Inc. will post 1.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jennifer L. Miller sold 40,000 shares of Ameresco stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.06, for a total transaction of $842,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,225 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $362,758.50. The trade was a 69.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO George P. Sakellaris bought 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $9.27 per share, for a total transaction of $231,750.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 978,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,071,974.26. The trade was a 2.62 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders purchased 80,808 shares of company stock worth $785,274 and sold 40,085 shares worth $843,378. Insiders own 42.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on AMRC shares. UBS Group cut shares of Ameresco from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $37.00 to $8.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Baird R W cut shares of Ameresco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price objective on shares of Ameresco from $36.00 to $27.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $13.00 target price (down from $25.00) on shares of Ameresco in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Ameresco from $34.00 to $18.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $22.83.

Ameresco Company Profile

Ameresco, Inc, a clean technology integrator, provides a portfolio of energy efficiency and renewable energy supply solutions in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. It operates through U.S. Regions, U.S. Federal, Canada, Europe, Alternative Fuels, and All Other segments. The company offers energy efficiency, infrastructure upgrades, energy security and resilience, asset sustainability, and renewable energy solutions for businesses and organizations.