Traders Purchase High Volume of Ameren Call Options (NYSE:AEE)

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

Ameren Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of AEE stock opened at $89.21 on Thursday. Ameren has a 12-month low of $67.03 and a 12-month high of $95.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The company has a 50 day moving average of $90.44 and a 200-day moving average of $84.50. The firm has a market cap of $23.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.99, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.48.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th were paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.00%. Ameren’s payout ratio is 63.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AEE has been the topic of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Ameren in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Ameren from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded shares of Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $82.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ameren has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total transaction of $598,975.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 205,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,906,507.65. This trade represents a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in Ameren by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 94,446 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,716,000 after purchasing an additional 3,606 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in shares of Ameren by 21.8% during the 2nd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 110,847 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,842,000 after buying an additional 19,809 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ameren during the 2nd quarter worth $2,644,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ameren during the second quarter valued at about $4,910,000. Finally, Choreo LLC raised its position in Ameren by 147.6% during the second quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 9,680 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $685,000 after purchasing an additional 5,770 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

About Ameren

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.