Ameren (AEE) to Release Earnings on Thursday

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) will be issuing its quarterly earnings data after the market closes on Thursday, August 1st. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $0.96 per share for the quarter. Individual that are interested in participating in the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The utilities provider reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by ($0.08). Ameren had a net margin of 15.84% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The business had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.00 EPS. Ameren’s revenue was down 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect Ameren to post $5 EPS for the current fiscal year and $5 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Ameren Stock Performance

NYSE:AEE opened at $79.52 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $72.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $72.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The stock has a market cap of $21.21 billion, a PE ratio of 18.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.44. Ameren has a fifty-two week low of $67.03 and a fifty-two week high of $86.39.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 12th were issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 12th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AEE has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Ameren from $76.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 24th. StockNews.com raised Ameren from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Barclays raised Ameren from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $73.00 to $77.00 in a report on Thursday, May 30th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Ameren in a research note on Friday, July 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $87.00 price target for the company. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ameren currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $79.91.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.53, for a total transaction of $302,120.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 43,935 shares in the company, valued at $3,318,410.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Ameren news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 4,000 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.53, for a total value of $302,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 43,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,318,410.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Rafael Flores sold 1,500 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction on Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.29, for a total transaction of $106,935.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 13,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $981,520.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.