Ameren Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:AEE)

Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders acquired 2,984 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 2,268% compared to the typical volume of 126 call options.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In other news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.44, for a total value of $659,360.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 198,973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,183,821.12. This represents a 3.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in Ameren by 70.9% during the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 258 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in shares of Ameren by 285.5% during the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 266 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the period. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Ameren by 6,040.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the period. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC lifted its position in Ameren by 728.9% during the second quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Price Performance

NYSE AEE opened at $97.79 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.81, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.57. Ameren has a 1-year low of $86.40 and a 1-year high of $106.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $103.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $100.37.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.07. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.92% and a net margin of 15.75%.The company had revenue of $2.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.87 earnings per share. Ameren’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Ameren has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.250-5.450 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 4.900-5.100 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Ameren will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 9th. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ameren in a report on Monday. Mizuho lifted their target price on Ameren from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Ameren from $104.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Ameren from $104.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Barclays set a $113.00 price objective on Ameren in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $109.50.

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.