Swiss National Bank Reduces Holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Swiss National Bank lowered its position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 821,600 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 23,100 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.31% of Ameren worth $59,435,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Ameren in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Concord Wealth Partners lifted its stake in shares of Ameren by 64.9% during the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Ameren by 124.5% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 624 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 346 shares during the period. CNB Bank grew its position in Ameren by 46.7% in the 3rd quarter. CNB Bank now owns 641 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Ameren by 93.7% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 703 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total transaction of $115,241.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 47,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,385,328.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total value of $513,989.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 246,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,422,883.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total transaction of $115,241.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 47,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,385,328.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of AEE stock opened at $74.09 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $19.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.03, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $72.75 and its 200 day moving average is $73.36. Ameren Co. has a 1-year low of $67.03 and a 1-year high of $90.72.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The utilities provider reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. Ameren had a net margin of 15.84% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.00 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Ameren Co. will post 4.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 12th. This is an increase from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.62%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on AEE shares. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Ameren from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 15th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Ameren from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Ameren in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. Bank of America raised their price objective on Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Ameren from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $79.40.

Ameren 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.