Ameren Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:AEE)

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 2,984 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 2,268% compared to the average volume of 126 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on AEE shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Ameren from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Ameren from $77.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised shares of Ameren from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $89.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.30.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.15, for a total value of $598,975.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 205,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,906,507.65. This represents a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ameren

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Ameren in the third quarter worth about $44,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ameren by 134.5% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 544 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ameren in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Ameren in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $56,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Ameren during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $58,000. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ameren Price Performance

Ameren stock opened at $93.46 on Friday. Ameren has a 52-week low of $67.03 and a 52-week high of $96.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $91.07 and its 200 day moving average is $85.97. The company has a market cap of $24.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.99, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.48.

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.