Ameren Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:AEE)

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

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AEE opened at $94.98 on Thursday. 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 twelve month low of $67.03 and a twelve month high of $95.69. The business has a fifty day moving average of $88.58 and a 200-day moving average of $80.71. The firm has a market cap of $25.35 billion, a PE ratio of 22.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.45.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In other news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 205,171 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,906,507.65. The trade was a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ameren

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Ameren by 115.3% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Ameren during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Ameren during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC raised its stake in Ameren by 108.1% in the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 435 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted 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 valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on AEE shares. Argus raised shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Ameren in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $97.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Mizuho upgraded 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 note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $87.90.

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.