Ameren Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:AEE)

Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors bought 2,984 call options on the company. This is an increase of 2,268% compared to the typical volume of 126 call options.

Ameren Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:AEE opened at $104.12 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $101.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $101.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.02, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.93. Ameren has a 1 year low of $91.77 and a 1 year high of $106.73.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.07. Ameren had a net margin of 15.75% and a return on equity of 10.92%. The company had revenue of $2.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.87 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. Ameren has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.250-5.450 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 4.900-5.100 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ameren will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ameren

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.44, for a total transaction of $659,360.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 198,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,183,821.12. This trade represents a 3.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Ameren by 70.9% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 258 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in Ameren by 285.5% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 266 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. acquired a new position in Ameren during the third quarter worth $29,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Ameren by 6,040.0% during the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 307 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC boosted its position in Ameren by 728.9% during the second quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. 79.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on AEE. Royal Bank Of Canada raised Ameren to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Argus raised Ameren to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Ameren from $121.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Ameren from $111.00 to $104.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Ameren from $112.00 to $111.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $109.20.

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.