Short Interest in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) Drops By 9.1%

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,320,000 shares, a decrease of 9.1% from the March 15th total of 4,750,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,840,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days.

Ameren Stock Up 2.3 %

AEE traded up $1.59 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $71.93. 1,276,443 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,788,324. Ameren has a one year low of $67.03 and a one year high of $91.18. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $71.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.51. The company has a market cap of $19.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.65.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.60 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $2.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.63 EPS. Ameren’s quarterly revenue was down 20.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Ameren will post 4.59 EPS for the current year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 13th were issued 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 3.73%. This is a boost from Ameren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on AEE shares. Bank of America raised their price objective on Ameren from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Ameren from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Ameren in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set a “sell” rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Ameren from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Ameren from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Two 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, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $79.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total transaction of $513,989.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 246,434 shares in the company, valued at $17,422,883.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Ameren news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of the firm’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 owns 47,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,385,328.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 246,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,422,883.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ameren by 245.5% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 56,575 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,093,000 after buying an additional 40,202 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren during the fourth quarter worth about $1,168,000. Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 34.7% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 142,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $10,272,000 after purchasing an additional 36,611 shares during the period. Schrum Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren during the third quarter worth about $473,000. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 1.1% during the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 1,637,693 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $122,549,000 after purchasing an additional 17,468 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

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.