Morgan Stanley Cuts Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Price Target to $86.00

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) had its price target trimmed by Morgan Stanley from $88.00 to $86.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

AEE has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Ameren in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho raised shares of Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Argus raised shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.90.

Ameren Stock Performance

NYSE:AEE opened at $93.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market cap of $25.04 billion, a PE ratio of 22.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $88.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $80.34. Ameren has a 1-year low of $67.03 and a 1-year high of $94.46.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.86%. Ameren’s payout ratio is currently 63.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ameren news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 205,171 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,906,507.65. The trade was a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total transaction of $131,923.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,640,758.08. This represents a 3.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in Ameren by 115.3% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Ameren during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC grew its position in Ameren by 108.1% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 435 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Ameren by 227.3% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 316 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.