Ameren Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:AEE)

Key Points

• Ameren Corporation experienced an unusual spike in options trading, with 2,984 call options purchased, marking an increase of approximately 2,268% compared to its average daily volume.
• Institutional investors have shown increased interest in Ameren, with hedge funds holding 79.09% of the company's stock, and several firms significantly increasing their stakes during recent quarters.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.71 per share, reflecting a 2.8% yield and a payout ratio of 62.42%, with the dividend set to be paid on September 30th.

Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 2,984 call options on the company. Thisrepresentsanincreaseofapproximately2,268% compared to the average daily volume of 126 call options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ameren

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Ameren in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in Ameren by 70.9% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 258 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ameren by 6,040.0% in the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 307 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ameren by 728.9% during the second quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the period. Finally, SouthState Corp purchased a new position in shares of Ameren during the first quarter worth about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AEE. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Ameren from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Ameren from $102.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Barclays cut 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. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Ameren from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, KeyCorp set a $104.00 price objective on Ameren and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $101.36.

Ameren Price Performance

Shares of AEE opened at $102.0220 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.56. Ameren has a 1-year low of $81.31 and a 1-year high of $104.10. The stock has a market cap of $27.59 billion, a PE ratio of 22.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $98.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $97.99.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 last year, the company posted $0.97 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 31.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Ameren has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.850-5.050 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ameren will post 4.93 EPS for the current year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 9th will be given a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 9th. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Ameren's payout ratio is 62.42%.

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.

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