Yaupon Capital Management LP Trims Position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Yaupon Capital Management LP reduced its position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 25.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 278,779 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 96,713 shares during the period. Ameren comprises approximately 1.3% of Yaupon Capital Management LP’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Yaupon Capital Management LP owned 0.10% of Ameren worth $24,382,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ameren during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. American National Bank purchased a new stake in Ameren in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ameren during the third quarter worth approximately $44,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ameren during the third quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Ameren in the 3rd quarter valued at $56,000. 79.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Ameren from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Ameren in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 target price for the company. Barclays increased their price target on Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Argus raised Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $89.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In other news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ameren Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE AEE opened at $91.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.63. Ameren Co. has a 1 year low of $67.03 and a 1 year high of $95.69. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $89.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $81.55. The firm has a market cap of $24.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.60, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.48.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.92%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.06%.

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.