Quantinno Capital Management LP Purchases 12,420 Shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE)

Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) by 33.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 49,954 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,420 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP’s holdings in Ameren were worth $4,453,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Ameren during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ameren in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Ameren in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in Ameren during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. raised its stake in Ameren by 78.7% in the 4th quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 470 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ameren Stock Performance

NYSE:AEE opened at $97.99 on Monday. Ameren Co. has a twelve month low of $69.39 and a twelve month high of $104.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $98.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.48 billion, a PE ratio of 22.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.51.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.01). Ameren had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 10.34%. The company had revenue of $2.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.92 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.98 EPS. Ameren’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Ameren Co. will post 4.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Shawn E. Schukar sold 4,743 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.79, for a total value of $492,275.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 57,486 shares in the company, valued at $5,966,471.94. This trade represents a 7.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Craig S. Ivey sold 2,716 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.27, for a total transaction of $266,901.32. Following the sale, the director now owns 14,495 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,424,423.65. This represents a 15.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,959 shares of company stock worth $1,316,712 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on AEE shares. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Ameren from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Ameren in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Ameren from $106.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Ameren from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ameren in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $101.80.

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.