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

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

Ameren Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:AEE opened at $97.01 on Friday. Ameren has a 12-month low of $69.39 and a 12-month high of $104.10. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $97.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $95.65. The company has a market capitalization of $26.22 billion, a PE ratio of 21.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by ($0.01). Ameren had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 15.51%. The business had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.92 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.98 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Ameren will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AEE has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $114.00 price objective (up previously from $113.00) on shares of Ameren in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Ameren from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $102.00 price target on Ameren and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. KeyCorp upgraded Ameren from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $103.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Ameren from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEE. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ameren by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 10,174 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $907,000 after purchasing an additional 1,282 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in Ameren by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 82,061 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,315,000 after buying an additional 5,808 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Ameren in the 4th quarter worth approximately $19,367,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in Ameren by 49.4% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 538 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ameren during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $238,000. 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.