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

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 2,984 call options on the company. This is an increase of 2,268% compared to the typical volume of 126 call options.

Ameren Price Performance

AEE stock opened at $90.89 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $90.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $83.15. Ameren has a 12-month low of $67.03 and a 12-month high of $95.69. The firm has a market cap of $24.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.39, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.47.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.95%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AEE. Bank of America upped their target price on Ameren from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Ameren in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $97.00 target price on the stock. Argus raised shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $89.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,906,507.65. This represents a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ameren

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AEE. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ameren by 106.1% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,498,158 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $177,644,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286,162 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Ameren by 8,645.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,160,998 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,015,410,000 after buying an additional 1,147,723 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ameren by 59.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,631,580 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $230,158,000 after buying an additional 984,879 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 3,738.0% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 745,872 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $65,234,000 after buying an additional 726,438 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd increased its position in shares of Ameren by 192.6% during the second quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd now owns 1,103,565 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $78,475,000 after acquiring an additional 726,404 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.