Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Shares Sold by Los Angeles Capital Management LLC

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 84.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,824 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 31,360 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Ameren were worth $509,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AEE. Kentucky Retirement Systems boosted its position in Ameren by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 20,095 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,429,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. NorthRock Partners LLC lifted its stake in Ameren by 4.2% in the third quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Ameren by 115.3% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In other news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total value of $131,923.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,640,758.08. This trade represents a 3.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ameren Stock Up 1.7 %

AEE stock opened at $91.22 on Friday. 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 $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 12 month low of $67.03 and a 12 month high of $92.77. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $87.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.61.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be issued a $0.67 dividend. 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%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on AEE shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Barclays boosted their price target on Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Ameren in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, September 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $87.80.

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.