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

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AEE has been the subject of several recent research reports. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Mizuho upgraded shares of Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Argus raised shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Barclays lifted their price target on Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Ameren from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,432 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,640,758.08. This trade represents a 3.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Ameren by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 489,935 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,849,000 after purchasing an additional 1,856 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Ameren by 1.6% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 78,178 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,837,000 after acquiring an additional 1,224 shares during the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC grew its position in Ameren by 16.7% in the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 15,544 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,359,000 after acquiring an additional 2,225 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC increased its stake in Ameren by 5.7% during the third quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 18,799 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,644,000 after acquiring an additional 1,022 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in Ameren by 57.7% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 174,840 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $15,291,000 after purchasing an additional 63,993 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Price Performance

NYSE AEE traded up $1.49 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $91.21. 1,447,519 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,600,255. The company has a market capitalization of $24.35 billion, a PE ratio of 21.17, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.41. Ameren has a 52-week low of $67.03 and a 52-week high of $92.77. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $86.99 and its 200-day moving average is $79.49.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be issued a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.94%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.06%.

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.