Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Price Target Lowered to $73.00 at Barclays

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) had its price target reduced by Barclays from $74.00 to $73.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on AEE. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Ameren in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued a sell rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com downgraded Ameren from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Ameren from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, December 18th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on Ameren from $77.00 to $72.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Ameren presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $79.40.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AEE opened at $71.93 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. Ameren has a 12 month low of $67.03 and a 12 month high of $91.18. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $71.65 and a 200-day moving average of $73.50. The company has a market capitalization of $19.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.44.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.60 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 the consensus estimate of $2.03 billion. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.42% and a net margin of 15.36%. The business’s revenue was down 20.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.63 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Ameren will post 4.59 EPS for the current year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 12th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.73%. This is a boost from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Ameren’s payout ratio is 61.33%.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In other news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total transaction of $513,989.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 246,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,422,883.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total transaction of $513,989.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 246,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,422,883.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of the business’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 directly owns 47,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,385,328.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AEE. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Ameren in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Penserra Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ameren in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Ameren by 218.2% in the 3rd quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 350 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Ameren in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in Ameren in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. 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.