Evercore ISI Upgrades Ameren (NYSE:AEE) to Outperform

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) was upgraded by analysts at Evercore ISI from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Briefing.com Automated Import reports. The brokerage currently has a $104.00 target price on the utilities provider’s stock, up from their prior target price of $89.00. Evercore ISI’s price target points to a potential upside of 10.28% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on AEE. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Ameren from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $91.30.

Ameren Price Performance

AEE stock opened at $94.31 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $90.91 and a 200-day moving average of $85.57. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $25.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.48. Ameren has a 12 month low of $67.03 and a 12 month high of $95.69.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In other Ameren news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total transaction of $598,975.00. Following the transaction, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ameren

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Ameren by 13.2% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 26,460 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,359,000 after acquiring an additional 3,093 shares during the period. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in Ameren during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $84,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Ameren by 57.0% in the 4th quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,929 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. Tudor Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Ameren by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Tudor Financial Inc. now owns 5,496 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $490,000 after buying an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ameren in the fourth quarter worth $201,000. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by 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.