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

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) had its target price boosted by Morgan Stanley from $46.00 to $48.00 in a report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

EXC has been the topic of several other reports. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Exelon from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $43.00 to $44.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Exelon from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Exelon in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays lifted 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. Finally, Guggenheim raised Exelon from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Exelon presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.13.

Exelon Trading Down 1.8 %

NASDAQ:EXC opened at $43.80 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $44.03 billion, a PE ratio of 17.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.51. Exelon has a fifty-two week low of $34.01 and a fifty-two week high of $45.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $41.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.96.

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.64 EPS 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Exelon will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exelon Increases Dividend

The company 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 boost from Exelon’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.65%. Exelon’s payout ratio is presently 65.31%.

Insider Activity at Exelon

In related news, EVP Colette D. Honorable sold 1,463 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 2,271 shares in the company, valued at approximately $92,134.47. The trade was a 39.18 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exelon

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Exelon in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Exelon in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Stephens Consulting LLC lifted its holdings in Exelon by 78.1% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 782 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in Exelon in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Exelon in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. 80.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.