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

Cameco Co. (NYSE:CCJ) (TSE:CCO) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders purchased 384,705 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 1,490% compared to the typical daily volume of 24,198 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Janney Montgomery Scott raised shares of Cameco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cameco has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $66.56.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cameco

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CCJ. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Cameco by 71.5% in the third quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 571 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Pingora Partners LLC purchased a new position in Cameco in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Cameco by 84.2% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 768 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 351 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Cameco during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of Cameco by 48.6% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 816 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the period. 70.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cameco Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE CCJ opened at $50.22 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $21.86 billion, a PE ratio of 264.32 and a beta of 0.95. Cameco has a 52 week low of $35.43 and a 52 week high of $62.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $54.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $49.33.

Cameco (NYSE:CCJ) (TSE:CCO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The basic materials company reported ($0.01) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.39 by ($0.40). Cameco had a net margin of 4.15% and a return on equity of 3.33%. The business had revenue of $721.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $646.83 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.24 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Cameco will post 0.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cameco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th were issued a dividend of $0.118 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 27th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.22%. This is an increase from Cameco’s previous annual dividend of $0.09. Cameco’s dividend payout ratio is 63.16%.

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.