Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Upgraded to “Outperform” by Mizuho

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

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Ameren from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. UBS Group initiated coverage on Ameren in a report on Friday, July 19th. They issued a buy rating and a $87.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays upgraded shares of Ameren from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and increased their target price for the stock from $73.00 to $77.00 in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $84.00.

Ameren Trading Down 1.2 %

AEE stock opened at $83.62 on Monday. Ameren has a 52-week low of $67.03 and a 52-week high of $85.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The firm has a market cap of $22.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.22, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.45. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $80.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $75.34.

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

Ameren Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 11th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.61%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total value of $131,923.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,432 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,640,758.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in Ameren by 115.3% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Ameren during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Ameren in the first quarter valued at about $31,000. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.