Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Rating Increased to Outperform at Mizuho

Mizuho upgraded shares of Ameren (NYSE:AEE) from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a report published on Monday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have $89.00 price objective on the utilities provider’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $82.00.

AEE has been the topic of several other reports. UBS Group assumed coverage on Ameren in a report on Friday, July 19th. They set a buy rating and a $87.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America raised their target price on Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Ameren from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Barclays upgraded Ameren from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and raised their target price for the company from $73.00 to $77.00 in a report on Thursday, May 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ameren has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $82.70.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of AEE opened at $84.62 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $22.57 billion, a PE ratio of 19.45, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.45. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $80.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $75.28. Ameren has a twelve month low of $67.03 and a twelve month high of $85.83.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.87 billion. Ameren had a net margin of 16.28% and a return on equity of 10.20%. Ameren’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.90 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Ameren will post 4.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 11th will be given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 11th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total transaction of $131,923.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,640,758.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ameren

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in Ameren by 115.3% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Ameren during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Ameren by 117.6% during the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Ameren during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new position in Ameren during the first quarter worth about $31,000. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.