LPL Financial LLC Grows Position in Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC)

LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC) by 11.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 67,261 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,872 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in Ameresco were worth $1,551,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AMRC. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Ameresco by 87.7% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 421,136 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,888,000 after buying an additional 196,776 shares in the last quarter. Gagnon Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Ameresco by 22.5% in the 4th quarter. Gagnon Securities LLC now owns 571,202 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $13,412,000 after acquiring an additional 104,861 shares during the period. Gagnon Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ameresco by 32.4% during the 4th quarter. Gagnon Advisors LLC now owns 272,694 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,403,000 after acquiring an additional 66,746 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Ameresco by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 752,375 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $17,666,000 after purchasing an additional 64,764 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Ameresco by 204.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 59,248 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,248,000 after purchasing an additional 39,773 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.24% of the company’s stock.

Ameresco Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:AMRC opened at $10.04 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $527.72 million, a PE ratio of 10.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.02. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $22.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. Ameresco, Inc. has a 12-month low of $9.00 and a 12-month high of $39.68.

Ameresco (NYSE:AMRC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The utilities provider reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $532.67 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $524.31 million. Ameresco had a net margin of 3.18% and a return on equity of 5.68%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ameresco, Inc. will post 1.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Ameresco

In other Ameresco news, CEO George P. Sakellaris purchased 50,000 shares of Ameresco stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $9.96 per share, for a total transaction of $498,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 903,638 shares in the company, valued at $9,000,234.48. This represents a 5.86 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Francis V. Wisneski, Jr. acquired 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $9.67 per share, with a total value of $33,845.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,738 shares in the company, valued at approximately $171,526.46. The trade was a 24.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders bought 80,808 shares of company stock valued at $785,274 and sold 40,085 shares valued at $843,378. 42.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AMRC shares. UBS Group downgraded Ameresco from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $37.00 to $8.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Baird R W downgraded shares of Ameresco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 price objective (down previously from $25.00) on shares of Ameresco in a research note on Tuesday. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their target price on shares of Ameresco from $36.00 to $27.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Ameresco from $34.00 to $18.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $24.86.

About Ameresco

Ameresco, Inc, a clean technology integrator, provides a portfolio of energy efficiency and renewable energy supply solutions in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. It operates through U.S. Regions, U.S. Federal, Canada, Europe, Alternative Fuels, and All Other segments. The company offers energy efficiency, infrastructure upgrades, energy security and resilience, asset sustainability, and renewable energy solutions for businesses and organizations.