Cameco Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:CCJ)

Cameco Corporation (NYSE:CCJ) (TSE:CCO) was the target of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock investors purchased 28,210 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 942% compared to the average volume of 2,706 put options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. National Bankshares reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cameco in a report on Thursday, November 6th. President Capital upgraded Cameco from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Cameco from $95.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Cameco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, CLSA began coverage on shares of Cameco in a report on Tuesday, September 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $102.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $113.75.

Cameco Price Performance

CCJ opened at $88.89 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $88.87 and a 200 day moving average of $77.14. The stock has a market cap of $38.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 102.17 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Cameco has a 52-week low of $35.00 and a 52-week high of $110.15.

Cameco (NYSE:CCJ) (TSE:CCO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by ($0.17). Cameco had a return on equity of 8.21% and a net margin of 14.97%.The business had revenue of $313.74 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $531.72 million. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.01) EPS. Cameco has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Cameco will post 1.27 EPS for the current year.

Cameco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a yield of 25.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. This is a positive change from Cameco’s previous annual dividend of $0.12. Cameco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.77%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cameco

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bison Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Cameco by 16.1% during the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 21,448 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,102,000 after acquiring an additional 2,975 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in Cameco by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 173,196 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $7,129,000 after purchasing an additional 17,284 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in Cameco by 59.5% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 4,853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $200,000 after purchasing an additional 1,811 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in Cameco by 12.8% during the 1st quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 298,147 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $12,272,000 after purchasing an additional 33,804 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cameco by 161.4% in the 1st quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 643,011 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,466,000 after buying an additional 397,002 shares during the period. 70.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Cameco

Cameco Corporation provides uranium for the generation of electricity. It operates through Uranium, Fuel Services, Westinghouse segments. The Uranium segment is involved in the exploration for, mining, and milling, purchase, and sale of uranium concentrate. The Fuel Services segment engages in the refining, conversion, and fabrication of uranium concentrate, as well as the purchase and sale of conversion services.