Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Short Interest Update

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,250,000 shares, an increase of 20.1% from the December 15th total of 3,540,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,370,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Ameren from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ameren has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $89.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ameren news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total transaction of $598,975.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 205,171 shares in the company, valued at $18,906,507.65. This represents a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ameren in the 4th quarter worth $84,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ameren by 57.0% during the fourth quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,929 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $172,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Tudor Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Ameren by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Tudor Financial Inc. now owns 5,496 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $490,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the period. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 4th quarter valued at about $201,000. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ameren by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,912 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $349,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of AEE stock traded up $0.45 on Friday, reaching $94.31. 1,351,246 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,202,618. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $90.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $85.47. The stock has a market cap of $25.17 billion, a PE ratio of 22.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.48. Ameren has a one year low of $67.03 and a one year high of $95.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.41.

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.