Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Given a $102.00 Price Target by Morgan Stanley Analysts

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) received a $102.00 price objective from Morgan Stanley in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 6.98% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on AEE. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ameren in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Ameren from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $103.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Ameren from $106.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Barclays upped their target price on Ameren from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Ameren from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Ameren currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $101.90.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of Ameren stock opened at $95.34 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $98.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $95.11. Ameren has a one year low of $69.39 and a one year high of $104.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.57, a PEG 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.92 billion. Ameren had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 10.34%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.98 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ameren will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 5,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.37, for a total transaction of $557,535.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 43,344 shares in the company, valued at $4,393,781.28. This represents a 11.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 transaction of $492,275.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 57,486 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,966,471.94. This trade represents a 7.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 10,174 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $907,000 after purchasing an additional 1,282 shares in the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ameren in the fourth quarter worth $317,000. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 82,061 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,315,000 after purchasing an additional 5,808 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 4th quarter worth approximately $19,367,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ameren by 49.4% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 538 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.