First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Sells 1,772 Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. reduced its stake in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 46,812 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,772 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Ameren were worth $4,094,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Ameren by 115.3% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the period. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Ameren in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its holdings in Ameren by 117.6% in the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Ameren during the first quarter worth $31,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 108.1% in the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 435 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ameren Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of AEE stock opened at $88.84 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $84.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.49. Ameren Co. has a 1 year low of $67.03 and a 1 year high of $88.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.42, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.45.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.87 billion. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 16.28%. Ameren’s revenue was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.90 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Ameren Co. will post 4.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.02%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Ameren in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Ameren from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six 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 stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $87.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total value of $131,923.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,640,758.08. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.