Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Upgraded at Royal Bank Of Canada

Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Ameren (NYSE:AEE) to a hold rating in a report issued on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on AEE. Mizuho boosted their price target on Ameren from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Ameren in a report on Monday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $112.00 target price for the company. Barclays set a $113.00 price objective on shares of Ameren in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Ameren from $104.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ameren in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $109.50.

Ameren Stock Up 0.4%

Ameren stock opened at $102.72 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.57, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.49. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $102.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $99.31. Ameren has a 1-year low of $85.27 and a 1-year high of $106.73.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.01. Ameren had a net margin of 14.55% and a return on equity of 10.38%. The company had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.82 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.97 EPS. Ameren’s revenue for the quarter was up 31.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Ameren will post 4.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 9th will be given a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 9th. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is 62.42%.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In related news, SVP Gwendolyn G. Mizell sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.79, for a total value of $101,790.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 9,129 shares in the company, valued at $929,240.91. This represents a 9.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ameren

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Ameren during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its position in Ameren by 70.9% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 258 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. purchased a new stake in Ameren during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Ameren by 6,040.0% in the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the period. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Ameren by 728.9% in the second quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.