Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Cameco (NYSE:CCJ)

Cameco Corporation (NYSE:CCJ) (TSE:CCO) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock investors bought 384,705 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 1,490% compared to the average volume of 24,198 call options.

Cameco Price Performance

CCJ stock opened at $133.59 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $58.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 155.34 and a beta of 1.01. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $99.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $88.82. Cameco has a twelve month low of $35.00 and a twelve month high of $135.24.

Cameco (NYSE:CCJ) (TSE:CCO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.22 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $313.74 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $531.72 million. Cameco had a return on equity of 8.58% and a net margin of 15.24%.Cameco’s quarterly revenue was down 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.01) EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a 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 payout ratio is presently 19.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Cameco in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Cameco from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Cameco in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised Cameco from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Glj Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $99.74 price target on shares of Cameco in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cameco currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.68.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bison Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Cameco by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 21,448 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,102,000 after buying an additional 2,975 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Cameco by 16.6% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 9,547 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $393,000 after acquiring an additional 1,361 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its position in Cameco by 48.7% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 8,485 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $349,000 after acquiring an additional 2,780 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cameco by 11.9% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 604,841 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $24,895,000 after purchasing an additional 64,512 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Cameco by 74.9% in the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 14,310 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,051,000 after purchasing an additional 6,127 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.21% of the company’s stock.

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.