Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Shares Sold by Atria Investments Inc

Atria Investments Inc cut its holdings in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,692 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,845 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc’s holdings in Ameren were worth $1,285,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in Ameren by 6.9% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 4,196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $367,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren during the third quarter valued at approximately $408,000. Droms Strauss Advisors Inc. MO ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren during the third quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ameren by 6.1% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 331,801 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,019,000 after acquiring an additional 19,217 shares during the period. Finally, Prudent Investors Network Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren during the third quarter valued at approximately $211,000. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of AEE opened at $91.22 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $87.15 and its 200-day moving average is $79.61. Ameren Co. has a 12 month low of $67.03 and a 12 month high of $92.77. The firm has a market cap of $24.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37.

Ameren Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AEE shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Ameren in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Ameren from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Bank of America upped their price objective 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. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s 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.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In other news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total transaction of $131,923.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,432 shares in the company, valued at $3,640,758.08. This represents a 3.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.