Investors Buy High Volume of Ameren Call Options (NYSE:AEE)

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors bought 2,984 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 2,268% compared to the average daily volume of 126 call options.

Ameren Stock Up 0.6 %

Ameren stock opened at $87.11 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.45. Ameren has a fifty-two week low of $67.03 and a fifty-two week high of $89.54. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $85.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.39. The firm has a market cap of $23.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.45.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.04. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 16.28%. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.90 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Ameren will post 4.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.08%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AEE shares. Argus upgraded shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Ameren from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Mizuho raised Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Ameren in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $87.80.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In other Ameren news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total transaction of $131,923.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,640,758.08. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ameren

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AEE. Kentucky Retirement Systems grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 20,095 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,429,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC boosted its stake in Ameren by 4.2% during the third quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $272,000 after buying an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its holdings in Ameren by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 9,803 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $697,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Ameren by 115.3% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 117.6% during the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Company Profile

Ameren Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a public utility holding company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Ameren Missouri, Ameren Illinois Electric Distribution, Ameren Illinois Natural Gas, and Ameren Transmission. It engages in the rate-regulated electric generation, transmission, and distribution activities; and rate-regulated natural gas distribution business.