UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Stock Price

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) had its target price increased by UBS Group from $106.00 to $113.00 in a report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Ameren from $97.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Ameren from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays lifted their price target on Ameren from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded Ameren from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $89.00 to $104.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ameren presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $96.70.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of AEE opened at $98.89 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $96.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $91.45. The stock has a market cap of $26.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.37, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Ameren has a one year low of $69.39 and a one year high of $104.10.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.77 EPS 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 last year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ameren will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. This is an increase from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.25%.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In other Ameren news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 5,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.37, for a total value of $557,535.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 43,344 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,393,781.28. This trade represents a 11.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Shawn E. Schukar sold 4,743 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.79, for a total value of $492,275.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 57,486 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,966,471.94. This represents a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 12,959 shares of company stock worth $1,316,712. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ameren

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Ameren during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ameren during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Ameren in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in Ameren during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. increased its stake in Ameren by 78.7% during the fourth quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 470 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

About Ameren

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.