United Capital Financial Advisors LLC Invests $1.41 Million in Ameren Corporation $AEE

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 12,425 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,405,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Amundi boosted its position in Ameren by 106.0% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 919,349 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $101,055,000 after purchasing an additional 473,048 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new position in Ameren in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,637,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Ameren by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,473,120 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $246,966,000 after buying an additional 123,084 shares during the period. North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new position in Ameren in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $924,000. Finally, UBS Group AG raised its holdings in Ameren by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 973,193 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $97,183,000 after acquiring an additional 43,821 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ameren Stock Performance

NYSE AEE opened at $106.07 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $110.83 and a 200-day moving average of $110.29. Ameren Corporation has a 52-week low of $96.57 and a 52-week high of $118.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.53. The company has a market capitalization of $29.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.47.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.05. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.95% and a net margin of 17.86%.The business had revenue of $2.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.01 earnings per share. Ameren’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Ameren has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.250-5.450 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Ameren Corporation will post 5.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 8th. Ameren’s payout ratio is 52.82%.

Insider Activity at Ameren

In other news, insider Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.96, for a total value of $708,240.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 199,689 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,758,113.44. This trade represents a 3.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Theresa A. Shaw sold 325 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.93, for a total transaction of $35,402.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 32,340 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,522,796.20. The trade was a 0.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Ameren from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 21st. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Ameren from $121.00 to $119.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. KeyCorp upgraded Ameren from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $122.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Ameren from $122.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ameren in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.42.

Ameren Company 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.