Ameren Corporation (AEE) will raise its quarterly dividend by 4.3 percent to $0.495 per share in 2019. This marks the utility holding company's 6th consecutive year of annual dividend increases.

The next dividend is payable Dec. 31, 2019, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Dec. 11, 2019. The new annualized dividend rate of $1.98 per share yields 2.6% at a stock price of $77.

"We are pleased to announce an increase in our fourth quarter 2019 dividend, which marks the sixth consecutive year we have increased our dividend," said Warner L. Baxter, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Ameren Corporation. "This action reflects confidence in the outlook for our businesses and ability to achieve our long-term earnings and rate base growth plans. Future dividend decisions will be driven by earnings growth, cash flows and other business conditions."

Ameren Corporation is a utitilty company based in St. Louis. Ameren serves natural gas and electric customers through its Ameren Missouri and Ameren Illinois rate-regulated utility subsidiaries. Ameren Illinois provides electric distribution and transmission service, as well as natural gas distribution service, while Ameren Missouri provides vertically integrated electric service and natural gas distribution service. Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois develops regional electric transmission projects. Ameren became a public company in 1952 and has paid a dividend every year since 1998.