Coldstream Capital Management Inc. Raises Holdings in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Coldstream Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 5.2% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,087 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Ameren were worth $446,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ameren in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Ameren in the 3rd quarter valued at about $44,000. American National Bank purchased a new position in Ameren in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ameren during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren in the third quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Stock Performance

NYSE AEE opened at $89.84 on Friday. Ameren Co. has a 1-year low of $67.03 and a 1-year high of $95.69. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $89.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $82.25. The company has a market cap of $23.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.41.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.06%.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In other Ameren news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 205,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,906,507.65. This trade represents a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on AEE. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Ameren in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. Argus raised shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Mizuho raised shares of Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $82.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Ameren from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.89.

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.