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

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

Ameren Trading Up 1.4 %

Ameren stock opened at $89.21 on Thursday. Ameren has a 1 year low of $67.03 and a 1 year high of $95.69. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $90.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $84.50. 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 stock has a market cap of $23.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.99, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.48.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th were paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 11th. Ameren’s payout ratio is currently 63.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AEE. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Argus raised Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Barclays raised their price objective on Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of Ameren from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $82.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, September 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.89.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In other news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 205,171 shares in the company, valued at $18,906,507.65. This represents a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AEE. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ameren in the third quarter worth $44,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 3rd quarter worth about $49,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren during the 3rd quarter valued at about $56,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Ameren in the 2nd quarter valued at about $58,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Ameren in the third quarter worth about $74,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

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.