Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. Invests $16.07 Million in Ameren Corporation $AEE

Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. bought a new position in Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 146,200 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $16,070,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in Ameren by 285.5% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 266 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ameren during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Ameren by 6,040.0% during the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ameren by 45.4% in the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 349 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ameren Stock Performance

Ameren stock opened at $116.35 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.62. Ameren Corporation has a one year low of $94.20 and a one year high of $118.32. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $109.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.20 billion, a PE ratio of 20.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.47.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.17 by $0.11. Ameren had a net margin of 17.17% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The firm had revenue of $2.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.07 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. Ameren has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.250-5.450 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ameren Corporation will post 5.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. Ameren’s payout ratio is presently 53.96%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Theresa A. Shaw sold 325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.08, for a total value of $35,451.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 32,618 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,557,971.44. The trade was a 0.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of Ameren in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ameren from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Ameren from $126.00 to $121.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Ameren from $104.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ameren from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, May 25th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $119.42.

About Ameren

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.