Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $95.00 and last traded at $94.63, with a volume of 28952 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $94.27.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Mizuho upgraded Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Ameren in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Argus raised shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Ameren from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ameren currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $87.90.

Ameren Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.63. The firm has a market cap of $25.40 billion, a PE ratio of 22.18, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $88.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $80.61.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total transaction of $598,975.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 205,171 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,906,507.65. This represents a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AEE. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Ameren in the 3rd quarter worth about $74,000. Tudor Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ameren during the third quarter valued at approximately $463,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren in the third quarter worth approximately $215,000. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ameren by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,087 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $446,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ameren by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,672,164 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $581,661,000 after acquiring an additional 127,287 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Company 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.