Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Stake Lessened by Chartwell Investment Partners LLC

Chartwell Investment Partners LLC lessened its stake in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 12.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,989 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,364 shares during the period. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Ameren were worth $2,710,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Ameren by 22.5% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,676 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,233,000 after purchasing an additional 3,064 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Ameren by 14.0% during the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 42,258 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,125,000 after purchasing an additional 5,192 shares during the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Ameren by 4.6% during the first quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 5,308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $393,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Ameren by 493.0% during the first quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 21,728 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 18,064 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System increased its stake in Ameren by 5.2% during the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 311,729 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $23,055,000 after purchasing an additional 15,269 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of Ameren stock opened at $92.03 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $86.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $79.21. Ameren Co. has a 52 week low of $67.03 and a 52 week high of $92.77. The stock has a market cap of $24.54 billion, a PE ratio of 21.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.45.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ameren news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total value of $131,923.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,432 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,640,758.08. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Ameren in a report on Friday, July 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $87.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ameren has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $87.80.

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.