Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) Trading Up 2.9% – Here’s Why

Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC) shot up 2.9% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $44.03 and last traded at $44.02. 3,203,320 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 57% from the average session volume of 7,417,182 shares. The stock had previously closed at $42.76.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Guggenheim upgraded shares of Exelon from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays boosted their price target on Exelon from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Exelon from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Exelon from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Exelon in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Exelon presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.13.

Exelon Trading Up 3.0 %

The stock has a market cap of $44.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $42.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $40.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61.

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company earned $0.60 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Exelon Co. will post 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exelon Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.63%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This is an increase from Exelon’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Exelon’s dividend payout ratio is 65.31%.

Insider Transactions at Exelon

In other Exelon 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 value of $59,353.91. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 2,271 shares in the company, valued at $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 available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EXC. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its holdings in shares of Exelon by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 2,457 shares of the company’s stock worth $92,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc. grew its holdings in Exelon by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 9,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $375,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Exelon by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 13,151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $495,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its position in shares of Exelon by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 18,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $697,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Exelon by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 11,085 shares of the company’s stock valued at $450,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.92% of the company’s stock.

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.