Cameco Corporation (NYSE:CCJ) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Cameco Corporation (NYSE:CCJ) (TSE:CCO) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the sixteen brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $121.6771.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Cameco from $160.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 13th. UBS Group began coverage on Cameco in a report on Monday, November 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. National Bankshares restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cameco in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Glj Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $99.74 price objective on shares of Cameco in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Cameco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in Cameco by 3.7% in the second quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,133,725 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $158,141,000 after buying an additional 77,081 shares in the last quarter. Nwam LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cameco by 11.7% in the 2nd quarter. Nwam LLC now owns 81,129 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,304,000 after acquiring an additional 8,519 shares during the last quarter. Abbington Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Cameco in the 3rd quarter valued at $6,506,000. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Cameco during the 2nd quarter valued at $281,000. Finally, Kercheville Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cameco by 128.2% during the 2nd quarter. Kercheville Advisors LLC now owns 38,137 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,831,000 after purchasing an additional 21,428 shares during the last quarter. 70.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cameco Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:CCJ opened at $107.55 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The firm has a market cap of $46.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 125.06 and a beta of 1.01. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $91.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $84.44. Cameco has a 12-month low of $35.00 and a 12-month high of $114.45.

Cameco (NYSE:CCJ) (TSE:CCO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by ($0.17). Cameco had a net margin of 15.24% and a return on equity of 8.58%. The company had revenue of $313.74 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $531.72 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.01) EPS. The company’s revenue was down 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Cameco will post 1.27 EPS for the current year.

Cameco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 27.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. This is a positive change from Cameco’s previous annual dividend of $0.12. Cameco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.77%.

About Cameco

Cameco Corporation (NYSE: CCJ) is a leading producer of uranium and a supplier to the global nuclear power industry. Headquartered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, the company is engaged in the exploration, mining, milling and sale of uranium concentrate, commonly known as yellowcake, which is used as fuel for nuclear reactors. Cameco also participates in services and activities that support the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle, including processing and marketing of uranium to utilities under long‑term and spot contracts.

The company’s operations have historically centered in Canada and the United States, where it operates and develops uranium mining and processing properties.