Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Shares Sold by TAP Consulting LLC

TAP Consulting LLC reduced its stake in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 16.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,081 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,376 shares during the period. TAP Consulting LLC’s holdings in Ameren were worth $512,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Ameren in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new position in Ameren in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Ameren in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Concord Wealth Partners boosted its position in Ameren by 64.9% in the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position in Ameren by 124.5% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 624 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 346 shares during the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In related news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total transaction of $115,241.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 47,883 shares in the company, valued at $3,385,328.10. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Ameren news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total value of $513,989.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 246,434 shares in the company, valued at $17,422,883.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total transaction of $115,241.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 47,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,385,328.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Stock Performance

NYSE AEE traded down $1.11 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $73.65. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,201,406 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,735,562. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $73.55. Ameren Co. has a 52 week low of $67.03 and a 52 week high of $90.72. The stock has a market cap of $19.63 billion, a PE ratio of 16.85, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.44.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by ($0.01). Ameren had a return on equity of 10.42% and a net margin of 15.36%. The business had revenue of $1.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.63 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 20.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Ameren Co. will post 4.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 13th were paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 12th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.64%. This is a positive change from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Ameren from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 15th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Ameren from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. StockNews.com cut shares of Ameren from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Ameren in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set a “sell” rating and a $73.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $79.40.

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.