Morgan Stanley Boosts Ameren (NYSE:AEE) Price Target to $94.00

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) had its target price increased by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $86.00 to $94.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 4.72% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms have also commented on AEE. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Ameren from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Ameren in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Barclays increased their price target on Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Argus raised Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.89.

Ameren Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:AEE traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $89.76. 48,025 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,557,804. Ameren has a 1 year low of $67.03 and a 1 year high of $95.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $89.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $82.05. The firm has a market cap of $23.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.48.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In other news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 205,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,906,507.65. This represents a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ameren

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Ameren in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. American National Bank acquired a new position in shares of Ameren during the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ameren during the 3rd quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren during the third quarter worth about $56,000. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ameren

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.