Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Shares Sold by Kovack Advisors Inc.

Kovack Advisors Inc. reduced its position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,844 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 239 shares during the period. Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Ameren were worth $249,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEE. Kentucky Retirement Systems increased its position in shares of Ameren by 0.6% in the second quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 20,095 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,429,000 after buying an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Ameren by 4.2% during the third quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Ameren by 1.4% during the second quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 9,803 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $697,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Ameren by 115.3% during 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 last quarter. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in Ameren by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 16,667 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,458,000 after buying an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ameren Trading Up 1.7 %

AEE opened at $91.21 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $86.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $79.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.35 billion, a PE ratio of 21.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.45. Ameren Co. has a one year low of $67.03 and a one year high of $92.77.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren’s payout ratio is 63.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on AEE shares. Mizuho upgraded Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, September 16th. UBS Group began coverage on Ameren in a report on Friday, July 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $87.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $87.80.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In other Ameren news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total transaction 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 $3,640,758.08. This trade represents a 3.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.