Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY Buys 2,548 Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY lifted its stake in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 71,756 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,548 shares during the period. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY’s holdings in Ameren were worth $6,396,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Metis Global Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Ameren by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 8,513 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $745,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Ameren by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 4,786 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $427,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC grew its position in Ameren by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings in Ameren by 16.3% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 980 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its position in Ameren by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 9,110 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $797,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE AEE opened at $97.09 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $91.48 and its 200-day moving average is $87.67. Ameren Co. has a one year low of $67.03 and a one year high of $97.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market cap of $25.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.49.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.93%. This is a positive change from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AEE shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Ameren from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Barclays downgraded shares of Ameren from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $88.00 to $95.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Ameren from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $89.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ameren has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $92.00.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was 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 approximately $18,906,507.65. This trade represents a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.