Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Increases Stock Position in Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC)

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. raised its stake in shares of Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 365,467 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,200 shares during the quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings in Exelon were worth $13,756,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its holdings in Exelon by 12.6% during the 4th 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. grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 296 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Exelon by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 13,151 shares of the company’s stock worth $495,000 after buying an additional 305 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. grew its position in shares of Exelon by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 18,505 shares of the company’s stock valued at $697,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Exelon by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 11,085 shares of the company’s stock valued at $450,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the period. 80.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exelon

In related news, EVP Colette D. Honorable sold 1,463 shares of the business’s 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Exelon Price Performance

Shares of Exelon stock opened at $44.44 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $41.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. Exelon Co. has a 12 month low of $34.01 and a 12 month high of $45.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.67 billion, a PE ratio of 18.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.51.

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Exelon Co. will post 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exelon Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.60%. This is a positive change from Exelon’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Exelon’s payout ratio is presently 65.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on EXC shares. Scotiabank upped their price target on Exelon from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays increased their price target on Exelon from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Exelon from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Guggenheim upgraded Exelon from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Exelon in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Five 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 company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.13.

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.