Ameren Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:AEE)

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AEE. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Ameren from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Ameren in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 target price for the company. Bank of America increased their price objective on Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $82.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ameren presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $87.80.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of Ameren stock traded down $0.45 on Thursday, reaching $90.94. The stock had a trading volume of 81,796 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,592,762. The stock has a market cap of $24.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.63. Ameren has a fifty-two week low of $67.03 and a fifty-two week high of $92.77. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $86.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $79.42.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.95%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.06%.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In related news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.94, for a total value of $131,923.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,432 shares in the company, valued at $3,640,758.08. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Metis Global Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ameren by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 8,513 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $745,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems raised its stake in shares of Ameren by 0.6% in the second quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 20,095 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,429,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC raised its position in Ameren by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC lifted its position in Ameren by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 8,880 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $777,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.