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

Key Points

• Investors purchased 2,984 call options on Ameren (AEE) in one day, a roughly 2,268% increase versus the average daily call volume of 126, signaling unusually large bullish options activity.
• Insider Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares at $103.60 (a 3.26% reduction in his holdings); company insiders now own just 0.29% of the stock.
• Ameren raised its quarterly dividend to $0.75 (annualized $3.00, yield 2.7%), posted Q earnings of $0.78 beating estimates by $0.01, and carries a consensus analyst rating of Hold with an average price target of $115.92.

Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors purchased 2,984 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 2,268% compared to the average volume of 126 call options.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.60, for a total value of $673,400.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 193,076 shares in the company, valued at $20,002,673.60. This trade represents a 3.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CreativeOne Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Ameren by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 7,448 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $777,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co grew its position in shares of Ameren by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Kentucky Trust Co now owns 14,759 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,474,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ameren by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,941 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $307,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Keb Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ameren by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Keb Asset Management LLC now owns 12,568 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,312,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LVW Advisors LLC grew its stake in Ameren by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 2,921 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $305,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company's stock.

Ameren Stock Performance

AEE opened at $110.85 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.67 billion, a PE ratio of 20.72, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.52. Ameren has a twelve month low of $93.27 and a twelve month high of $115.53. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $110.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $105.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.69 billion. Ameren had a net margin of 16.55% and a return on equity of 10.69%. Ameren's quarterly revenue was down 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.77 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ameren will post 4.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from Ameren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 10th. Ameren's dividend payout ratio is presently 56.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Ameren from $112.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on Ameren in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $131.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered Ameren from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 11th. Barclays lifted their price target on Ameren from $104.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $116.00 price target on Ameren in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ameren presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $115.92.

About Ameren

Ameren Corporation NYSE: AEE is an integrated energy company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that provides electric and natural gas delivery and related services in portions of Missouri and Illinois. The company operates regulated utility businesses that serve a broad mix of residential, commercial and industrial customers, and it participates in wholesale energy markets and transmission operations that support reliable service across its service territories.

Ameren's core activities include generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, distribution of natural gas, and the provision of customer energy solutions such as demand-side management and energy efficiency programs.

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