Stack Financial Management Inc Makes New Investment in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Stack Financial Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 158,112 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $11,438,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AEE. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Ameren during the third quarter worth $25,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren in the third quarter valued at $37,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren in the third quarter valued at $40,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Ameren by 124.5% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 624 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the period. Finally, Concord Wealth Partners grew its position in shares of Ameren by 64.9% in the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AEE traded down $0.47 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $74.29. 275,275 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,723,886. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $72.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.55. The firm has a market cap of $19.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.11, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.44. Ameren Co. has a twelve month low of $67.03 and a twelve month high of $90.72.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.61 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $1.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.03 billion. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.42% and a net margin of 15.36%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 20.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.63 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ameren Co. will post 4.59 EPS for the current year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 13th were given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.61%. This is an increase from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 12th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is 61.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ameren news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total value of $513,989.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 246,434 shares in the company, valued at $17,422,883.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Ameren news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total value of $115,241.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 47,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,385,328.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total value of $513,989.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 246,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,422,883.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AEE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Ameren from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Ameren in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They set a “sell” rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays reduced their price objective on Ameren from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Ameren from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ameren has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $79.40.

Ameren 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.