Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) Price Target Raised to $47.00

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) had its target price hoisted by UBS Group from $45.00 to $47.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI raised 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 note on Tuesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Exelon from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Guggenheim upgraded Exelon from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Exelon from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Exelon from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.13.

Exelon Stock Down 1.8 %

NASDAQ EXC opened at $43.80 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $41.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.88, 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 has a 52 week low of $34.01 and a 52 week high of $45.20.

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company posted $0.60 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict 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 was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.65%. This is a boost from Exelon’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Exelon’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Colette D. Honorable sold 1,463 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.57, for a total value of $59,353.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 2,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $92,134.47. The trade was a 39.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exelon

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Exelon by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 127,335,351 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,792,903,000 after purchasing an additional 3,064,673 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Exelon by 3.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 60,169,219 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,439,862,000 after buying an additional 2,156,259 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Exelon by 37.2% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 27,618,055 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,039,545,000 after buying an additional 7,483,873 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Exelon by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 26,314,296 shares of the company’s stock worth $988,080,000 after acquiring an additional 368,505 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Exelon by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 24,662,037 shares of the company’s stock valued at $928,277,000 after acquiring an additional 653,627 shares during the period. 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.