Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Shares Purchased by QRG Capital Management Inc.

QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 5.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 45,691 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,322 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Ameren were worth $3,996,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Ameren by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 146,775 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $12,837,000 after acquiring an additional 8,573 shares in the last quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. increased its stake in Ameren by 13.8% during the third quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 18,213 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,601,000 after purchasing an additional 2,211 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of Ameren by 6.9% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 76,253 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,801,000 after purchasing an additional 4,949 shares in the last quarter. Prosperitas Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ameren by 9.2% in the third quarter. Prosperitas Financial LLC now owns 31,227 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,731,000 after purchasing an additional 2,632 shares during the period. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 13.5% in the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 8,566 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $749,000 after purchasing an additional 1,021 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEE has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Argus upgraded Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Ameren from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Ameren in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $87.80.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In other Ameren news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,640,758.08. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of Ameren stock opened at $87.78 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Ameren Co. has a 52 week low of $67.03 and a 52 week high of $89.54. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $86.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.45.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors 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 yield of 3.05%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.63%.

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.