Ameren Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:AEE)

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders bought 2,984 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 2,268% compared to the typical daily volume of 126 call options.

Ameren Stock Performance

Shares of AEE traded up $0.23 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $97.11. 1,279,173 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,556,589. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.66. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $97.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $95.50. Ameren has a 1 year low of $69.39 and a 1 year high of $104.10. The stock has a market cap of $26.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.51.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by ($0.01). Ameren had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 10.34%. The business had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.98 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Ameren will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Ameren Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.92%. Ameren's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Shawn E. Schukar sold 4,743 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.79, for a total value of $492,275.97. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 57,486 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,966,471.94. This represents a 7.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Chonda J. Nwamu sold 5,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.37, for a total transaction of $557,535.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 43,344 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,393,781.28. This represents a 11.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ameren

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEE. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren in the first quarter worth $25,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, SouthState Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Ameren in the first quarter worth $34,000. 79.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Ameren in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Ameren from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $102.00 target price on shares of Ameren and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Ameren from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $103.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $102.00.

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.