Ausbil Investment Management Ltd Decreases Stock Position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Ausbil Investment Management Ltd lowered its stake in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 34.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 60,973 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 32,151 shares during the quarter. Ameren accounts for approximately 3.3% of Ausbil Investment Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Ameren were worth $5,417,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ameren during the third quarter valued at $44,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ameren by 134.5% in the 4th 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. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ameren during the 3rd quarter valued at about $49,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Ameren during the third quarter worth about $56,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Ameren in the third quarter worth approximately $74,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Trading Up 0.0 %

NYSE AEE opened at $94.15 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $25.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.48. Ameren Co. has a fifty-two week low of $67.03 and a fifty-two week high of $96.74. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $91.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $86.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.63.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the business’s 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 in the company, valued at $18,906,507.65. The trade was a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Ameren

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.