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

Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE) saw unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders purchased 2,984 call options on the stock. Thisrepresentsanincreaseofapproximately2,268% compared to the typical daily volume of 126 call options.

Ameren Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:AEE opened at $101.59 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. Ameren has a 52-week low of $78.91 and a 52-week high of $104.10. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $97.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $97.45. The company has a market capitalization of $27.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.45.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.01. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.38% and a net margin of 14.55%. The company had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.97 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 31.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ameren will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 10th. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AEE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Ameren from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $91.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Barclays decreased their price target on Ameren from $104.00 to $100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. KeyCorp set a $104.00 price target on Ameren and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Ameren from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Ameren in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $101.36.

Institutional Trading of Ameren

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crews Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Ameren by 6.3% during the 2nd quarter. Crews Bank & Trust now owns 1,728 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $166,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its position in Ameren by 70.9% in the 2nd 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. Powers Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in Ameren by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,716 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $261,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its position in Ameren by 29.6% in the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 499 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ameren by 49.0% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 362 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.