Prudent Investors Network Inc. Makes New $211,000 Investment in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Prudent Investors Network Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,413 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $211,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NorthRock Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ameren by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 45,691 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,996,000 after acquiring an additional 2,322 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Ameren by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 146,775 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $12,837,000 after buying an additional 8,573 shares in the last quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. lifted its stake in Ameren by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 18,213 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,601,000 after buying an additional 2,211 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in Ameren by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 76,253 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,801,000 after buying an additional 4,949 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In related news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total value of $131,923.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,432 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,640,758.08. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Stock Performance

NYSE AEE opened at $87.78 on Thursday. Ameren Co. has a fifty-two week low of $67.03 and a fifty-two week high of $89.54. The stock has a market cap of $23.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a fifty day moving average of $86.10 and a 200-day moving average of $78.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.05%. Ameren’s payout ratio is currently 60.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AEE has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Ameren in a report on Friday, July 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $87.00 price target for the company. Barclays raised 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 raised their price target on shares of Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. One equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.80.

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.