Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) Price Target Raised to $48.00

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) had its price target increased by Barclays from $42.00 to $48.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Exelon in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Guggenheim raised shares of Exelon from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Exelon from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $43.00 to $44.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Exelon from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on Exelon from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.13.

Exelon Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of EXC stock opened at $43.84 on Tuesday. Exelon has a fifty-two week low of $34.01 and a fifty-two week high of $44.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.06 billion, a PE ratio of 17.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.87. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $39.27.

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. Exelon had a net margin of 10.68% and a return on equity of 9.52%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Exelon will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Exelon Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This is a positive change from Exelon’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.65%. Exelon’s payout ratio is currently 65.31%.

Insider Activity at Exelon

In related news, EVP Colette D. Honorable sold 1,463 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.57, for a total transaction of $59,353.91. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 2,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $92,134.47. This represents a 39.18 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Exelon

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Exelon during the fourth quarter worth about $212,000. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Exelon during the 4th quarter worth approximately $248,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Exelon by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 21,879 shares of the company’s stock valued at $824,000 after buying an additional 561 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Exelon during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Exelon in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $174,000. 80.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Exelon Company Profile

Exelon Corporation, a utility services holding company, engages in the energy distribution and transmission businesses in the United States and Canada. The company is involved in the purchase and regulated retail sale of electricity and natural gas, transmission and distribution of electricity, and distribution of natural gas to retail customers.