Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Scotiabank Analyst Says

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) had its price target hoisted by analysts at Scotiabank from $42.00 to $44.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “sector perform” rating on the stock. Scotiabank’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 2.01% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim raised shares of Exelon from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Evercore ISI upgraded Exelon from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $43.00 to $44.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays dropped their price objective on Exelon from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Exelon from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.38.

Exelon Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EXC traded up $0.25 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $43.14. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,493,216 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,511,366. Exelon has a 1-year low of $34.01 and a 1-year high of $43.45. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $38.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.84. 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 firm has a market cap of $43.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.56.

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 last year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Exelon will post 2.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Colette D. Honorable sold 1,463 shares of Exelon stock in a transaction dated 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 $92,134.47. This trade represents a 39.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Exelon

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EXC. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Exelon in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Stephens Consulting LLC grew its position in shares of Exelon by 78.1% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 782 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 343 shares during the period. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Exelon during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Exelon during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Exelon during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. 80.92% of the stock is currently 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.