Barclays PLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 489,935 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,856 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned approximately 0.18% of Ameren worth $42,849,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AEE. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Ameren during the second quarter worth $26,000. American National Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren during the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ameren during the third quarter valued at about $44,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ameren in the third quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Ameren in the third quarter worth about $56,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Trading Down 0.1 %

Ameren stock opened at $89.76 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $89.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $81.99. The company has a market capitalization of $23.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.48. Ameren Co. has a 52 week low of $67.03 and a 52 week high of $95.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be issued a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on AEE shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Ameren in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America raised their price objective on Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Ameren from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Mizuho raised Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $82.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.00.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In other news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 205,171 shares in the company, valued at $18,906,507.65. This represents a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.42% 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.