Core Viewpoint - Volatility has returned to Wall Street following a solid September rally, influenced by a Federal Reserve rate cut and recent inflation data, leading to a recommendation for defensive stocks like consumer staples and utilities [1][2]. Inflation Data - The consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.2% in September, matching August's increase and exceeding analysts' expectations of 0.1% [2] - Year-over-year, CPI increased 2.4%, marking the smallest rise in over three and a half years [2] - Core CPI, excluding food and energy, jumped 3.3% year-over-year, surpassing the consensus estimate of 3.2% [2] - The Federal Reserve cut rates by 50 basis points, with the current benchmark rate between 4.75% and 5%, the lowest since April 2023 [2] Consumer Sentiment - The University of Michigan's preliminary consumer sentiment reading fell to 68.9 in October from 70.1 in September, below the forecast of 70.8 [3] - One-year inflation expectations rose to 2.9% from 2.7% in the previous month, reflecting concerns over high prices and a slowing economy [3] Investment Strategy - Investors are advised to focus on low-risk investments, particularly defensive stocks in consumer staples and utilities, with an emphasis on low beta stocks (0 to 1), high dividend yields, and favorable Zacks Rank [4] Company Highlights - **American Water Works Company, Inc. (AWK)**: Serves over 14 million customers, expected earnings growth rate of 7.6%, Zacks Rank 2, beta of 0.69, dividend yield of 2.18% [5] - **Ameren Corporation (AEE)**: Provides electricity and natural gas to nearly 2.4 million electric and over 900,000 natural gas customers, expected earnings growth rate of 5.5%, Zacks Rank 2, beta of 0.45, dividend yield of 3.07% [6] - **Fortis, Inc. (FTS)**: Engaged in electric and gas utility business, expected earnings growth rate of 3.1%, Zacks Rank 2, beta of 0.44, dividend yield of 3.92% [8] - **Unilever PLC (UL)**: Manufactures branded consumer goods, expected earnings growth rate of 8.2%, Zacks Rank 1, beta of 0.48, dividend yield of 2.99% [9] - **The Clorox Company (CLX)**: Produces consumer products, expected earnings growth rate of 7.6%, Zacks Rank 2, beta of 0.41, dividend yield of 3.02% [10]

Group 1 - Ameren (AEE) is currently outperforming its peers in the Utilities sector with a year-to-date gain of approximately 20.6%, compared to the sector average of 17.3% [2] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AEE's full-year earnings has increased by 0.7% over the past three months, indicating improved analyst sentiment and a stronger earnings outlook [2] - Ameren holds a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), suggesting it has favorable characteristics to beat the market in the near term [1][2] Group 2 - Ameren is part of the Utility - Electric Power industry, which consists of 60 stocks and has achieved a year-to-date gain of about 20.5%, indicating that AEE is performing well within this group [3] - In contrast, Deutsche Telekom AG, which belongs to the Diversified Communication Services industry, has seen a year-to-date decline of -2.9% and is ranked 104 among 13 stocks in its industry [3] - Investors interested in Utilities stocks should monitor both Ameren and Deutsche Telekom AG as they continue to show solid performance [3]

Utilities continue to benefit from various favorable factors, such as new electric rates, customer additions, cost management and the implementation of energy-efficiency programs. Also, the ongoing investments to improve the resiliency of electric infrastructure against extreme weather conditions and the ongoing transition to cost-effective, renewable energy sources to produce electricity aid the power industry.Utility companies operating in the United States are taking measures to further strengthen their ...

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Martin J. Lyons Jr., chairman, president and CEO of Ameren Corp. (NYSE: AEE), and Michael L. Moehn, senior executive vice president and CFO of Ameren Corp., will discuss third quarter 2024 earnings, earnings guidance and other matters in a conference call with financial analysts at 9 a.m. Central Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time) on Thursday, Nov. 7.The call will be broadcast live over the internet on AmerenInvestors.com. Supporting materials for the call will be posted in ...

ST. LOUIS, Sept. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Union Electric Company, doing business as Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE), announced today the pricing of a public offering of $450 million aggregate principal amount of 5.125% first mortgage bonds due 2055 at 99.881% of their principal amount. The transaction is expected to close on Oct. 7, 2024, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.Ameren Missouri intends to use the net proceeds of the offering to refinance sh ...

Investors in Ameren Corporation (AEE) need to pay close attention to the stock based on moves in the options market lately. That is because the Oct 18, 2024 $95.00 Put had some of the highest implied volatility of all equity options today.What is Implied Volatility?Implied volatility shows how much movement the market is expecting in the future. Options with high levels of implied volatility suggest that investors in the underlying stocks are expecting a big move in one direction or the other. It could also ...

Ameren Corporation (AEE) is a regulated utility company that generates and distributes electricity and natural gas services. Its systemic investments and steady shift to clean energy will further boost its performance. However, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company faces risks related to the high expenditures to comply with air emission regulations.AEE’s TailwindsAmeren’s growth has been led by its systematic and consistent investments in projects and infrastructural upgrades in recent times. It expects to spen ...

Ameren earns a top score of 100 on the Disability Equality Index for its efforts to drive change in disability inclusion across business operations ST. LOUIS, Sept. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE) has once again received recognition as a "Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion," earning a top score of 100 from the Disability Equality Index. The index serves as the world's most comprehensive benchmarking tool for Fortune 1000 companies to measure disability inclusion inside their ...

Justin Paget/DigitalVision via Getty Images Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE) is a large electric and natural gas utility that operates in the U.S. states of Illinois and Missouri: Ameren Corporation As we can see from the map above, the company’s service territory includes the St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area as well as most of the state of Illinois. However, Chicago, Illinois is notably excluded from this service territory and is not served by this company. This service area is a mixture of urban, ...

Group 1 - Ameren (AEE) has outperformed the Utilities sector with a year-to-date return of approximately 12.3%, compared to the sector average of 10.4% [2] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AEE's full-year earnings has increased by 0.4% in the past quarter, indicating improved analyst sentiment [2] - Ameren holds a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), suggesting a positive earnings outlook [1][2] Group 2 - Ameren is part of the Utility - Electric Power industry, which consists of 59 companies and currently ranks 93 in the Zacks Industry Rank [3] - The Utility - Electric Power industry has seen an average gain of 12.6% this year, indicating that Ameren is slightly underperforming its industry [3] - Another notable stock in the Utilities sector is Cemig (CIG), which has returned 21% year-to-date and also holds a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) [2][3]