Ameren Corporation $AEE Stock Holdings Reduced by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its stake in Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE) by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 639,696 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 12,454 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Ameren were worth $63,573,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AEE. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ameren during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Continuum Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ameren by 74.9% in 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 during the period. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ameren in the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in Ameren in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In related news, SVP Theresa Shaw sold 325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.93, for a total value of $35,402.25. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 32,340 shares in the company, valued at $3,522,796.20. This represents a 0.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Rafael Flores sold 248 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.53, for a total transaction of $26,171.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 13,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,465,600.64. The trade was a 1.75% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Stock Down 1.0%

Ameren stock opened at $110.33 on Wednesday. Ameren Corporation has a 1-year low of $96.57 and a 1-year high of $118.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.42. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $104.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $108.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 8th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 8th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on AEE shares. KeyCorp upped their price target on Ameren from $116.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. TD Cowen started coverage on Ameren in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $114.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Ameren from $136.00 to $122.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Ameren from $108.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on Ameren from $113.00 to $107.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ameren has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $117.43.

About Ameren

Ameren Corporation is a regulated electric and natural gas utility holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Through its operating companies, Ameren Missouri and Ameren Illinois, the company provides electric generation, transmission and distribution services, as well as natural gas distribution.

Ameren serves approximately 2.5 million electric customers and more than 900,000 natural gas customers across Missouri and Illinois. Its operations include a diverse generation portfolio and infrastructure designed to deliver reliable energy to residential, commercial and industrial customers, while supporting the transition toward cleaner energy resources.

Ameren was formed in 1997 through the merger of Union Electric Company and CIPSCO Inc The company is led by Martin J.