Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Trims Holdings in Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System reduced its holdings in shares of Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 882,283 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,246 shares during the period. Exelon accounts for 0.7% of Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Exelon were worth $33,209,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Exelon Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EXC opened at $44.42 on Wednesday. Exelon Co. has a 12 month low of $34.01 and a 12 month high of $45.20. The company has a market cap of $44.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.51. The business’s 50 day moving average is $41.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.84. 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 for the quarter, topping 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 last year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Exelon Co. will post 2.64 EPS for the current year.

Exelon Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This is a positive change from Exelon’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.60%. Exelon’s payout ratio is currently 65.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on EXC. Guggenheim upgraded Exelon from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays raised their price objective on Exelon from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Exelon from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Exelon in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised Exelon from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $43.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $44.13.

Insider Activity at Exelon

In other Exelon news, EVP Colette D. Honorable sold 1,463 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.57, for a total value of $59,353.91. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 2,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $92,134.47. The trade was a 39.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.