Powers Advisory Group LLC Takes Position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Powers Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 2,589 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $226,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in Ameren by 115.3% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ameren by 117.6% during the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Ameren during the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of AEE stock opened at $88.84 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $84.65 and its 200 day moving average 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The company has a market cap 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 quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.87 billion. Ameren had a net margin of 16.28% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The company’s revenue was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.90 EPS. Research analysts predict that Ameren Co. will post 4.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a $0.67 dividend. 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 3.02%. Ameren’s payout ratio is 61.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEE has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Mizuho upgraded Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Ameren in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price objective for the company. 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Ameren from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Ameren in a research note on Friday, July 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $87.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.80.

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.