Lazard Asset Management LLC Raises Stock Position in Ameren Corporation $AEE

Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE) by 42.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,331,922 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 399,905 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Ameren were worth $146,405,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in Ameren by 285.5% during the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 266 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ameren in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Ameren by 6,040.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Ameren by 6,080.0% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 309 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its holdings in Ameren by 74.9% during the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 292 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of AEE stock opened at $113.75 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $31.48 billion, a PE ratio of 20.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.47. Ameren Corporation has a 1 year low of $96.57 and a 1 year high of $118.32. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $110.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $109.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $2.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.24 billion. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 17.17%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.07 EPS. Ameren has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.250-5.450 EPS. Research analysts predict that Ameren Corporation will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Ameren’s payout ratio is 53.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ameren from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings upgraded Ameren from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Ameren from $121.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Barclays raised their price target on Ameren from $116.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Ameren from $121.00 to $119.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In other news, SVP Theresa A. Shaw sold 325 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.08, for a total value of $35,451.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 32,618 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,557,971.44. This represents a 0.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Ameren News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ameren this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp reiterated an Overweight rating on Ameren and kept a $122 price target, while also lifting several forward EPS estimates, including FY2026 to $5.39 and longer-term forecasts through FY2030. KeyCorp Weighs in on Ameren’s Q2 Earnings (NYSE:AEE)
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital also remained bullish on Ameren, keeping a Buy view on the stock, which reinforces investor confidence in the utility’s earnings outlook. BMO Capital Remains a Buy on Ameren (AEE)
• Neutral Sentiment: Several reports framed Ameren as fairly valued heading into its July 30 earnings release, suggesting the stock may be in a wait-and-see mode until results are out. Is Ameren (AEE) Fairly Valued Going Into Its July 30 Earnings?
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street Zen also reportedly upgraded Ameren, adding to the constructive analyst backdrop, though without a clearly provided target in the headline. Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Ameren Profile

Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE) is an integrated energy company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that provides electric and natural gas delivery and related services in portions of Missouri and Illinois. The company operates regulated utility businesses that serve a broad mix of residential, commercial and industrial customers, and it participates in wholesale energy markets and transmission operations that support reliable service across its service territories.

Ameren’s core activities include generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, distribution of natural gas, and the provision of customer energy solutions such as demand-side management and energy efficiency programs.