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

Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 2,984 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 2,268% compared to the average daily volume of 126 call options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ameren

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Ameren during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. SouthState Corp acquired a new position in Ameren in the 1st quarter worth $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in Ameren by 600.0% in the second quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 343 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Ameren during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ameren by 74.5% during the 1st quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 349 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of AEE traded up $0.11 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $100.15. 1,059,004 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,746,982. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Ameren has a one year low of $77.08 and a one year high of $104.10. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $96.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $96.81. The company has a market capitalization of $27.07 billion, a PE ratio of 22.21, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.48.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.01). Ameren had a return on equity of 10.40% and a net margin of 15.31%. The firm had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.92 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.98 earnings per share. Ameren's revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ameren will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were given a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 10th. Ameren's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AEE. Barclays cut their price target on Ameren from $104.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Ameren in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Ameren from $102.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Ameren from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, KeyCorp set a $104.00 target price on Ameren and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $101.36.

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.