Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on Ameren (NYSE:AEE)

Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE) saw some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors acquired 2,984 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 2,268% compared to the typical volume of 126 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AEE has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group lifted their price target on Ameren from $125.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of Ameren in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Ameren from $119.00 to $117.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Ameren from $112.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $116.00 price objective on shares of Ameren in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ameren has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $117.31.

Ameren Price Performance

NYSE:AEE opened at $109.02 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.50. Ameren has a 52-week low of $93.27 and a 52-week high of $115.58. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $110.77 and a 200 day moving average of $106.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.62.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.17 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $2.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.24 billion. Ameren had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 17.17%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.07 earnings per share. Ameren has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.250-5.450 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Ameren will post 5.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ameren

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 59.4% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 594,693 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $65,369,000 after purchasing an additional 221,566 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 137,054 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $15,065,000 after purchasing an additional 4,008 shares in the last quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 30.4% in the 1st quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd now owns 298,332 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,793,000 after purchasing an additional 69,553 shares in the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ameren by 93.0% in the 1st quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,187 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $240,000 after purchasing an additional 1,054 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ameren in the 1st quarter worth about $46,000. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ameren Company Profile

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.