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

Cameco Corporation (NYSE:CCJ) (TSE:CCO) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Traders purchased 28,210 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 942% compared to the typical daily volume of 2,706 put options.

Cameco Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE CCJ opened at $121.65 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $52.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 141.45 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 2.99 and a quick ratio of 1.85. Cameco has a 12 month low of $35.00 and a 12 month high of $126.47. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $95.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $86.90.

Cameco (NYSE:CCJ) (TSE:CCO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by ($0.17). Cameco had a return on equity of 8.58% and a net margin of 15.24%.The firm had revenue of $313.74 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $531.72 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.01) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Cameco will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cameco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a dividend yield of 27.0%. This is an increase from Cameco’s previous annual dividend of $0.12. Cameco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CCJ has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Cameco from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cameco in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Cameco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of Cameco from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on Cameco in a report on Monday, November 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.68.

Institutional Trading of Cameco

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Cameco by 19.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 676 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Cameco by 3.1% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,938 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $330,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Hager Investment Management Services LLC raised its stake in Cameco by 0.4% during the second quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC now owns 30,628 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,274,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the period. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Cameco by 1.2% in the third quarter. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC now owns 10,770 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $903,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in Cameco by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,691 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $155,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.21% of the company’s stock.

About Cameco

Cameco Corporation (NYSE: CCJ) is a leading producer of uranium and a supplier to the global nuclear power industry. Headquartered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, the company is engaged in the exploration, mining, milling and sale of uranium concentrate, commonly known as yellowcake, which is used as fuel for nuclear reactors. Cameco also participates in services and activities that support the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle, including processing and marketing of uranium to utilities under long‑term and spot contracts.

The company’s operations have historically centered in Canada and the United States, where it operates and develops uranium mining and processing properties.