Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Sells 2,308 Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. decreased its holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,814 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,308 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Ameren were worth $2,735,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AEE. Penserra Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Ameren in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Ameren in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Ameren in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Ameren by 218.2% in the third quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 350 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in Ameren in the third quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Ameren from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. 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 note on Monday. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ameren from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, 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 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $79.40.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of AEE stock opened at $72.51 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $19.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.59, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.44. The company’s 50 day moving average is $71.74 and its 200 day moving average is $73.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. Ameren Co. has a 52-week low of $67.03 and a 52-week high of $91.18.

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

Ameren Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.70%. This is a positive change from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 12th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.33%.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In other news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total transaction of $513,989.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 246,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,422,883.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 47,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,385,328.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total value of $513,989.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 246,434 shares in the company, valued at $17,422,883.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.