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

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AEE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Mizuho raised shares of Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Ameren in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Ameren from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $89.89.

Ameren Trading Up 1.4 %

NYSE AEE opened at $89.21 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $90.48 and its 200-day moving average is $84.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.99, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.48. Ameren has a one year low of $67.03 and a one year high of $95.69.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 205,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,906,507.65. The trade was a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ameren

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEE. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Ameren by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 8,513 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $745,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its holdings in Ameren by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 4,786 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $427,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems increased its position in Ameren by 0.6% in the second quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 20,095 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,429,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Ameren by 4.2% in the third quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the period. Finally, Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Ameren by 1.4% in the second 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. Hedge funds and other 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.