Ameren Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:AEE)

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

Ameren Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE AEE traded down $0.37 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $95.92. 366,434 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,572,559. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $25.92 billion, a PE ratio of 21.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.48. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $96.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $96.22. Ameren has a 52 week low of $71.87 and a 52 week high of $104.10.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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). The company had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.92 billion. Ameren had a net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 10.40%. The firm's revenue was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ameren will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were given a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.96%. Ameren's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.97%.

Institutional Trading of Ameren

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Ameren by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 10,174 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $907,000 after purchasing an additional 1,282 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 4th quarter worth $19,367,000. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren in the 1st quarter worth $204,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ameren by 49.4% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 538 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Ameren by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,926 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,699,000 after purchasing an additional 963 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AEE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays reduced their price target on Ameren from $104.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Ameren from $102.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Ameren from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Guggenheim reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Ameren in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $114.00 price objective (up previously from $113.00) on shares of Ameren in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $101.27.

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.