Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Shares Purchased by Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its stake in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 31,489 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 818 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Ameren were worth $2,807,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren during the 3rd quarter valued at about $44,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its position in Ameren by 134.5% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 544 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. raised its stake in shares of Ameren by 86.2% during the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 540 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ameren during the third quarter worth $49,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Ameren in the third quarter valued at $56,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of AEE opened at $97.09 on Monday. Ameren Co. has a 52 week low of $67.03 and a 52 week high of $97.37. 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 firm has a market cap of $25.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.84, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.49. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $91.48 and a 200-day moving average of $87.76.

Ameren Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 205,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,906,507.65. The trade was a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.