Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Shares Sold by Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC trimmed its position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 1.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 143,056 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,519 shares during the quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC’s holdings in Ameren were worth $12,512,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ameren by 227.3% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. American National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 3rd quarter valued at $49,000. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Mizuho raised shares of Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Argus raised shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Ameren in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $97.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Ameren from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ameren presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $87.78.

Ameren Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:AEE opened at $92.42 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $24.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.75, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.48. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $89.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $81.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. Ameren Co. has a fifty-two week low of $67.03 and a fifty-two week high of $95.69.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be issued a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren’s payout ratio is 63.06%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 205,171 shares of the company’s stock, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.