Powers Advisory Group LLC Acquires Shares of 2,589 Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Powers Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,589 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $226,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of 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 period. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Ameren during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its position in Ameren by 117.6% in the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC increased its holdings in Ameren by 108.1% in the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 435 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total transaction of $131,923.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,640,758.08. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AEE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group started coverage on Ameren in a research report on Friday, July 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $87.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Ameren in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target for the company. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Argus upgraded shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Ameren from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ameren currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $87.80.

Ameren Price Performance

Ameren stock opened at $88.84 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $84.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $77.49. Ameren Co. has a 12-month low of $67.03 and a 12-month high of $88.90. The stock has a market cap of $23.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.42, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.45.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $1.69 billion during 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.90 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ameren Co. will post 4.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.02%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.61%.

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.