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

Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE) was the target of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Traders acquired 2,984 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 2,268% compared to the average volume of 126 call options.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AEE opened at $99.84 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $102.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $100.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The company has a market capitalization of $27.01 billion, a PE ratio of 19.20, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.57. Ameren has a 1-year low of $86.81 and a 1-year high of $106.73.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.64 billion. Ameren had a net margin of 15.75% and a return on equity of 10.92%. Ameren’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.87 EPS. Ameren has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.250-5.450 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 4.900-5.100 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Ameren will post 4.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 9th will be given a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 9th. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Ameren’s dividend payout ratio is 54.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $103.00 price target on Ameren in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Ameren in a report on Monday, October 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $112.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ameren in a research report on Monday. Argus raised shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Ameren to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $108.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ameren news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.44, for a total transaction of $659,360.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 198,973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,183,821.12. This represents a 3.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AEE. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ameren by 5.7% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 55,788 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,358,000 after purchasing an additional 3,006 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in Ameren by 10.0% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 34,201 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,434,000 after purchasing an additional 3,112 shares during the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Ameren by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 255,152 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $24,505,000 after buying an additional 2,750 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ameren by 61.6% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 22,605 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,270,000 after buying an additional 8,618 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Magellan Asset Management Ltd raised its position in shares of Ameren by 8.6% during the 2nd quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd now owns 209,918 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $20,161,000 after buying an additional 16,590 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company’s stock.

Ameren Company Profile

Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE) is an integrated energy company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that provides electric and natural gas delivery and related services in portions of Missouri and Illinois. The company operates regulated utility businesses that serve a broad mix of residential, commercial and industrial customers, and it participates in wholesale energy markets and transmission operations that support reliable service across its service territories.

Ameren’s core activities include generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, distribution of natural gas, and the provision of customer energy solutions such as demand-side management and energy efficiency programs.