Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Boosts Stock Position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 5.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,799 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,022 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Ameren were worth $1,644,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In other news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $18,906,507.65. This represents a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ameren Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE:AEE opened at $89.84 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $89.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.98 billion, a PE ratio of 21.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.48. Ameren Co. has a 12 month low of $67.03 and a 12 month high of $95.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.41.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Ameren in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target for the company. Argus upgraded shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Ameren from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.89.

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.