Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Holdings Decreased by Clearbridge Investments LLC

Clearbridge Investments LLC lowered its stake in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 583,731 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 9,890 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in Ameren were worth $42,227,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren during the third quarter worth $40,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Ameren by 124.5% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 624 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the period. Sandy Spring Bank raised its position in shares of Ameren by 96.7% during the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 773 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares during the period. Finally, Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in Ameren during the fourth quarter valued at $83,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays dropped their price target on Ameren from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 15th. StockNews.com raised Ameren from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Bank of America increased their target price on Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Ameren in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set a “sell” rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Ameren from $76.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $79.90.

Ameren Stock Down 1.8 %

NYSE:AEE opened at $73.20 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $73.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $73.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.44. Ameren Co. has a 12-month low of $67.03 and a 12-month high of $88.72.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The utilities provider reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $1.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 15.84%. The business’s revenue was down 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.00 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Ameren Co. will post 4.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 12th will be paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 12th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is 61.61%.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In related news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 4,000 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.53, for a total transaction of $302,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 43,935 shares in the company, valued at $3,318,410.55. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Ameren news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were 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 directly owns 246,434 shares in the company, valued at $17,422,883.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.53, for a total transaction of $302,120.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 43,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,318,410.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,900 shares of company stock valued at $931,350. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.