AEE
Ameren Corp., symbol AEE on New York, sells electricity and natural gas to 3.4 million customers in Illinois and Missouri.
In the three months ended March 31, 2011, the Wall Street stock’s earnings fell 36.8%, to $60.0 million, or $0.25 a share, from $95.0 million, or $0.40 a share, a year earlier. These figures exclude unusual items, mainly gains and losses …read more »
Ameren and Alliant are Midwestern utilities with long histories of steady dividend payments. We like both, but we prefer Alliant for new buying. That’s because it gets just 5% of its revenue from its unregulated businesses, compared to 25% for Ameren. This makes Alliant less vulnerable to unpredictable weather and volatile fuel prices.
AMEREN CORP. $29 (New York symbol AEE; Income …read more »
TIM HORTONS INC. $37 (New York symbol THI; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 173.9 million; Market cap: $6.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.7; Dividend yield: 1.4%; WSSF Rating: Average) is selling half of its Maidstone Bakeries business to Aryzta AG of Switzerland. (Tim Hortons and Aryzta own the bakery through a joint venture.) Based in Brantford, Ontario, Maidstone supplies …read more »
AMEREN CORP. $24 (New York symbol AEE; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 238.2 million; Market cap: $5.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.8; Dividend yield: 6.4%; WSSF Rating: Average) sells electricity and natural gas to 3.4 million customers in Illinois and Missouri.
In the three months ended March 31, 2010, Ameren’s earnings fell 16.7%, to $95 million from $114 million a year …read more »
AMEREN CORP. $28 (New York symbol AEE; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 236.9 million; Market cap: $6.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.8; Dividend yield: 5.5%; WSSF Rating: Average) sells electricity and natural gas to 3.4 million customers in Illinois and Missouri.
In the third quarter of 2009, Ameren’s earnings rose 3.7%, to $255 million from $246 million a year earlier. However, …read more »
The recession and the slow pace of the recovery have hurt demand for electrical power at these two midwestern utilities. However, regulators will probably let them raise their rates to cover some of the shortfall. That should help them maintain their dividends and replace aging power plants. Still, we see only Alliant as a buy right now.
AMEREN CORP. $28 (New …read more »
WESTERN UNION CO. $20 (New York symbol WU; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 701.6 million; Market cap: $14 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.8; WSSF Rating: Above Average) has provided money-transfer services to Cuba since 1999. Cubans living in the U.S. can send money to close relatives in Cuba at over 3,000 of Western Union’s U.S. locations. The company also …read more »
AMEREN CORP. $40 (New York symbol AEE; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 209.5 million; Market cap: $8.4 billion; WSSF Rating: Average) provides electricity and natural gas to customers in Illinois and Missouri.
The floods in the Midwest had little effect on Ameren. However, the company needs to spend about $1 billion in the next two years to upgrade some of …read more »
Alliant and Ameren have moved down lately, largely due to fears that floods in the Midwest and rising fuel costs will hurt their earnings growth. However, power regulators will probably let them recover these extra costs through higher rates.
ALLIANT ENERGY CORP. $33 (New York symbol LNT; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 110.4 million; Market cap: $3.6 billion; WSSF Rating: …read more »
AMEREN CORP. $54 (New York symbol AEE; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 208.0 million; Market cap: $11.2 billion; WSSF Rating: Average) provides electricity and natural gas to customers in Illinois and Missouri.
The company has agreed to pay the State of Missouri $177.4 million to settle a lawsuit over the 2005 breach of a reservoir at Ameren’s Taum Sauk hydroelectric …read more »
