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

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $89.61 and last traded at $89.61, with a volume of 448060 shares. The stock had previously closed at $86.55.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on AEE. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Ameren from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $87.80.

Ameren Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a 50-day moving average of $86.35 and a 200-day moving average of $79.02.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.97%. Ameren’s payout ratio is currently 63.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ameren news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total value of $131,923.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,640,758.08. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ameren

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AEE. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Ameren by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 38,633 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,146,000 after acquiring an additional 819 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC grew its stake in Ameren by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 9,251 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $684,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ameren by 16.9% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 44,641 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,302,000 after buying an additional 6,445 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Ameren by 22.5% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,676 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,233,000 after buying an additional 3,064 shares during the period. Finally, Tectonic Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Ameren by 18.0% during the 1st quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 4,172 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 636 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.