Golden State Wealth Management LLC Buys Shares of 929 Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 929 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $83,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Ameren by 19.8% in the 3rd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 3,684 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 609 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its holdings in Ameren by 11.4% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 12,851 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,124,000 after buying an additional 1,319 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Ameren during the third quarter valued at approximately $234,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in Ameren by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 9,882 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $864,000 after buying an additional 894 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in shares of Ameren by 138.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 4,446 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $389,000 after acquiring an additional 2,578 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Stock Up 0.4 %

AEE opened at $97.09 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $91.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $87.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market cap of $25.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.49. Ameren Co. has a 12 month low of $67.03 and a 12 month high of $97.37.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.93%. This is a positive change from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on AEE shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Ameren from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Barclays lowered shares of Ameren from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $88.00 to $95.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Ameren from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $89.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $92.00.

Insider Activity at Ameren

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

Ameren 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.