Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Reaches New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $92.79 and last traded at $92.75, with a volume of 56988 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $92.24.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AEE has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ameren has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $87.80.

Ameren Stock Performance

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 company has a market capitalization of $25.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.45. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $87.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $80.02.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The business 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 of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.86%. Ameren’s payout ratio is 63.06%.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In related news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total transaction of $131,923.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,640,758.08. This represents a 3.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ameren

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Ameren by 115.3% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ameren during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new position in Ameren in the first quarter valued at about $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Ameren by 108.1% in the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 435 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Ameren by 227.3% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.