Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) was the target of a large growth in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,420,000 shares, a growth of 11.8% from the May 31st total of 3,060,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,600,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of Ameren stock traded down $0.08 on Wednesday, reaching $71.42. 137,693 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,746,409. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market cap of $19.05 billion, a PE ratio of 16.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.44. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $72.61 and its 200-day moving average is $71.92. Ameren has a one year low of $67.03 and a one year high of $88.72.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last released 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). Ameren had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 15.84%. The business had revenue of $1.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.00 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ameren will post 4.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 12th were given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 12th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AEE. Barclays raised Ameren from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $73.00 to $77.00 in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Ameren from $76.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 24th. StockNews.com upgraded Ameren from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Ameren from $81.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ameren currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $79.20.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In other news, Director Rafael Flores sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.29, for a total value of $106,935.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 13,768 shares in the company, valued at $981,520.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Rafael Flores sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.29, for a total transaction of $106,935.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 13,768 shares in the company, valued at $981,520.72. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 4,000 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 43,935 shares in the company, valued at $3,318,410.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 25.0% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 22,931,588 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,696,022,000 after purchasing an additional 4,593,638 shares during the last quarter. Zimmer Partners LP grew its position in Ameren by 204.3% during the 1st quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 3,827,897 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $283,111,000 after acquiring an additional 2,569,897 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in Ameren by 7,133.8% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 960,286 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $694,670,000 after purchasing an additional 947,011 shares during the last quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren during the fourth quarter valued at about $60,445,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ameren by 2.5% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 33,092,435 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,447,516,000 after buying an additional 802,714 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

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.