E Fund Management Co. Ltd. Boosts Stake in Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC)

E Fund Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC) by 32.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,289 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,485 shares during the period. E Fund Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Exelon were worth $538,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EXC. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in Exelon by 47.7% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $294,000 after acquiring an additional 2,339 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in shares of Exelon by 2.5% in the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 123,357 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,002,000 after buying an additional 3,045 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Exelon by 3.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,159,783 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,029,000 after buying an additional 36,734 shares during the period. Summit Global Investments purchased a new stake in shares of Exelon in the third quarter worth about $367,000. Finally, Stiles Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Exelon in the third quarter worth about $213,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.92% of the company’s stock.

Exelon Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ EXC opened at $43.11 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $40.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.49. Exelon Co. has a 52-week low of $34.01 and a 52-week high of $45.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.60, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61.

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. Exelon had a return on equity of 9.52% and a net margin of 10.68%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Exelon Co. will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exelon Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.71%. This is a boost from Exelon’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Exelon’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EXC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI raised Exelon from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $43.00 to $44.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Exelon from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays increased their price target on Exelon from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Guggenheim raised Exelon from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Exelon in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exelon

In other news, EVP Colette D. Honorable sold 1,463 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.57, for a total transaction of $59,353.91. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 2,271 shares in the company, valued at approximately $92,134.47. This represents a 39.18 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Exelon

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.