Investors Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Ameren (NYSE:AEE)

Ameren Co. (NYSE:AEE) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders acquired 2,984 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 2,268% compared to the typical volume of 126 call options.

Ameren Stock Up 1.4 %

AEE opened at $89.21 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $90.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $84.53. Ameren has a 52 week low of $67.03 and a 52 week high of $95.69. 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 stock has a market cap of $23.81 billion, a PE ratio of 20.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.48.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on AEE. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Ameren from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Ameren from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Ameren from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Argus raised shares of Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Ameren in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.89.

Insider Transactions at Ameren

In other news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was 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 directly owns 205,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,906,507.65. This trade represents a 3.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its position in Ameren by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 8,513 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $745,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Ameren by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 4,786 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $427,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems lifted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 20,095 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,429,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ameren by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Ameren by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 9,803 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $697,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.