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

Key Points

• Ameren Corporation experienced a 2,268% increase in call options trading, with 2,984 call options purchased on Wednesday compared to the average of 126.
• The company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations and marking a 31.2% year-over-year revenue growth.
• Ameren declared a quarterly dividend of $0.71 per share, amounting to an annualized dividend yield of 2.8% and a payout ratio of 62.42%.

Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders acquired 2,984 call options on the company. Thisrepresentsanincreaseof2,268% compared to the average daily volume of 126 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Ameren from $104.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Ameren from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Ameren from $102.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. KeyCorp set a $104.00 target price on shares of Ameren and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Ameren in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $101.36.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in Ameren during the first quarter worth $25,000. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in Ameren by 70.9% during the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 258 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in Ameren during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in Ameren by 600.0% during the second quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 343 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Ameren Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE:AEE traded down $0.91 on Friday, reaching $101.41. The stock had a trading volume of 1,006,090 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,502,207. The company has a market cap of $27.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.56. The firm's fifty day moving average is $97.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $97.60. Ameren has a 12-month low of $78.91 and a 12-month high of $104.10.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.01. Ameren had a net margin of 14.55% and a return on equity of 10.38%. The company had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.97 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 31.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Ameren will post 4.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.