Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on Ameren (NYSE:AEE)

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

Insider Activity at Ameren

In other Ameren news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total transaction 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 $18,906,507.65. This trade represents a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in Ameren by 392.0% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 19,434 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,382,000 after buying an additional 15,484 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP acquired a new position in shares of Ameren in the third quarter worth approximately $1,417,000. Magnetar Financial LLC bought a new stake in Ameren in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,632,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in Ameren by 137.2% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 100,154 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,407,000 after purchasing an additional 57,923 shares during the period. Finally, Lindenwold Advisors INC bought a new position in Ameren during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,682,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on AEE shares. Bank of America lifted their price target on Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Ameren in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target for the company. Mizuho raised Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Ameren from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised 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 analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $87.90.

Ameren Stock Performance

NYSE:AEE opened at $94.98 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $88.58 and its 200-day moving average is $80.71. The stock has a market cap of $25.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.45. Ameren has a 1-year low of $67.03 and a 1-year high of $95.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.