Investors Buy Large Volume of Ameren Call Options (NYSE:AEE)

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) was the target of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 2,984 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 2,268% compared to the average volume of 126 call options.

Insider Activity

In other Ameren news, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 1,610 shares of the business’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 transaction of $131,923.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,432 shares in the company, valued at $3,640,758.08. The trade was a 3.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Ameren by 115.3% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ameren during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ameren during the first quarter valued at about $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Ameren by 108.1% in the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 435 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ameren by 227.3% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Argus upgraded Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Mizuho upgraded shares of Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Ameren in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Ameren from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Ameren from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $87.80.

Ameren Stock Up 1.7 %

Ameren stock traded up $1.49 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $91.21. The stock had a trading volume of 1,447,519 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,600,255. Ameren has a 52 week low of $67.03 and a 52 week high of $92.77. The company has a market cap of $24.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.17, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.45. 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $86.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $79.49.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.94%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.06%.

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.