Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $96.74 and last traded at $96.44, with a volume of 17431 shares. The stock had previously closed at $95.49.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on AEE. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Ameren from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Ameren from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $89.00 to $104.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Barclays downgraded Ameren from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $88.00 to $95.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $92.00.

Ameren Trading Up 1.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market cap of $25.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.49. The business has a 50-day moving average of $91.36 and a 200-day moving average of $87.39.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 205,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,906,507.65. This represents a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ameren

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Metis Global Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Ameren by 1.5% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 8,513 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $745,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Ameren by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 4,786 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $427,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC lifted its position in Ameren by 4.2% during the third quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its position in Ameren by 16.3% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 980 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $87,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of Ameren by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 9,110 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $797,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.