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

Cameco Corporation (NYSE:CCJ) (TSE:CCO) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Stock investors acquired 384,705 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 1,490% compared to the average volume of 24,198 call options.

Cameco Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE CCJ opened at $133.59 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $58.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 155.34 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Cameco has a 12-month low of $35.00 and a 12-month high of $135.24. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $99.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $88.82.

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

Cameco Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Cameco

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Legacy Bridge LLC lifted its stake in Cameco by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Bridge LLC now owns 11,508 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,053,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. S.A. Mason LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cameco by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 2,436 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cameco by 19.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 676 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position 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 buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Global Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Cameco by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Global Advisors LLC now owns 6,023 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $551,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. 70.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on CCJ shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Cameco in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Cameco from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. National Bankshares restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cameco in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Glj Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $99.74 price objective on shares of Cameco in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cameco in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.68.

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.