RWC Asset Management LLP Buys Shares of 104,746 Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

RWC Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 104,746 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $9,337,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC purchased a new stake in Ameren during the 4th quarter worth about $1,293,000. Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ameren during the fourth quarter valued at about $318,000. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 8,592 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $766,000 after buying an additional 692 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ameren by 164.6% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,564 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 973 shares during the period. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its stake in Ameren by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 38,044 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,391,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on AEE shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Ameren from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays cut 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 report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised Ameren from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $89.00 to $104.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $92.70.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In related news, Director Craig S. Ivey sold 2,716 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.27, for a total transaction of $266,901.32. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,495 shares in the company, valued at $1,424,423.65. This trade represents a 15.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AEE opened at $98.52 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $92.80 and its 200 day moving average is $89.11. The stock has a market cap of $26.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.49. Ameren Co. has a 1-year low of $69.39 and a 1-year high of $100.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by ($0.06). Ameren had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 15.51%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ameren Co. will post 4.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.71 per share. This is a boost from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.63%.

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.