Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY Has $5.73 Million Holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY decreased its stake in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 11.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 79,244 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 10,125 shares during the period. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY’s holdings in Ameren were worth $5,732,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AEE. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Penserra Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ameren by 218.2% during the 3rd quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 350 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the period. Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new stake in Ameren in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Stock Performance

Ameren stock traded up $0.29 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $73.63. The stock had a trading volume of 123,690 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,827,013. Ameren Co. has a 12 month low of $67.03 and a 12 month high of $91.18. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $71.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.62 billion, a PE ratio of 16.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.44. 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 (NYSE:AEE) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 10.42%. The firm had revenue of $1.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.63 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 20.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Ameren Co. will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In other Ameren news, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of Ameren 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 246,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,422,883.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Ameren news, EVP Mark C. Lindgren sold 1,630 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total value of $115,241.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 47,883 shares in the company, valued at $3,385,328.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Martin J. Lyons sold 7,270 shares of the business’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 value of $513,989.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 246,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,422,883.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AEE has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America downgraded shares of Ameren from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $82.00 to $77.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $72.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 18th. StockNews.com upgraded Ameren from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Ameren from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 18th. Finally, KeyCorp cut Ameren from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 15th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ameren currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $80.11.

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.