Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $45.13.

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Exelon from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Guggenheim upgraded shares of Exelon from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Exelon in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of 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 Exelon from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Insider Transactions at Exelon

In other news, EVP Colette D. Honorable sold 1,463 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.57, for a total transaction of $59,353.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 2,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $92,134.47. This represents a 39.18 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Exelon during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Exelon in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Stephens Consulting LLC lifted its stake in shares of Exelon by 78.1% in the fourth quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares during the period. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new stake in Exelon during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Exelon during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.92% of the company’s stock.

Exelon Price Performance

Exelon stock opened at $44.25 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $42.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $40.09. The stock has a market cap of $44.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.51. Exelon has a 12-month low of $34.01 and a 12-month high of $45.20.

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) last announced 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 in the prior year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Exelon 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. Shareholders 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. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. Exelon’s payout ratio is currently 65.31%.

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.