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

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AEE. Barclays lifted their price target on Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Ameren in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target for the company. Bank of America raised their price target on Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Ameren from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ameren has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $87.90.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of AEE opened at $94.98 on Thursday. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $88.58 and its 200-day moving average is $80.71. Ameren has a 12-month low of $67.03 and a 12-month high of $95.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.45.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders 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 2.82%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 205,171 shares in the company, valued at $18,906,507.65. This trade represents a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ameren

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AEE. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Ameren by 115.3% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Ameren during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Ameren during the first quarter valued at about $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 108.1% in the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 435 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Ameren by 227.3% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. 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.