Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) Hits New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $41.88 and last traded at $41.80, with a volume of 7279012 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $41.31.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Exelon from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays lowered their target price on Exelon from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI raised shares of Exelon from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $43.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Exelon from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim upgraded shares of Exelon from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.13.

Exelon Stock Up 1.3 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.09. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $38.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.82. The stock has a market cap of $43.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.56.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. Exelon had a net margin of 10.60% and a return on equity of 9.47%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Exelon Co. will post 2.46 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exelon

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

Institutional Trading of Exelon

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Exelon by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,533 shares of the company’s stock valued at $305,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Exelon by 1.0% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 28,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,151,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its holdings in shares of Exelon by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 2,457 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in Exelon by 2.1% in the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 13,922 shares of the company’s stock worth $565,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the period. Finally, 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. 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.