Toronto Dominion Bank Sells 17,740 Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Toronto Dominion Bank lessened its stake in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 13.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 117,672 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 17,740 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank’s holdings in Ameren were worth $10,292,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its position in Ameren by 1.5% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 8,513 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $745,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems raised its holdings in Ameren by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 20,095 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,429,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC boosted its position in Ameren by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its holdings in Ameren by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 9,803 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $697,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its position in shares of Ameren by 1.7% in the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 9,110 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $797,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of AEE stock opened at $89.84 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $89.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.17. The stock has a market cap of $23.98 billion, a PE ratio of 21.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.48. Ameren Co. has a 12 month low of $67.03 and a 12 month high of $95.69.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be issued a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AEE. Argus upgraded shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Ameren in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America boosted their target price on Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ameren presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $89.89.

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.