Ameren Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:AEE)

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors acquired 2,984 call options on the company. This is an increase of 2,268% compared to the typical daily volume of 126 call options.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of AEE stock opened at $83.62 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $80.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.34. Ameren has a 52 week low of $67.03 and a 52 week high of $85.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $22.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.45.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.87 billion. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 16.28%. Ameren’s quarterly revenue was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.90 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Ameren will post 4.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 11th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In related news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,640,758.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kentucky Retirement Systems boosted its position in shares of Ameren by 0.6% during the second quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 20,095 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,429,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Ameren by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 9,803 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $697,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its holdings in Ameren by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 2,992 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $221,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in Ameren by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 7,414 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $536,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in Ameren by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 3,051 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on AEE. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. UBS Group started coverage on Ameren in a research note on Friday, July 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $87.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho raised shares of Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Ameren in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays upgraded Ameren from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $73.00 to $77.00 in a report on Thursday, May 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $84.00.

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.