Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $44.63.

A number of brokerages recently commented on EXC. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Exelon in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Scotiabank upped their target price on Exelon from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley upped 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. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Exelon from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Insider Activity

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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 2,271 shares in the company, valued at $92,134.47. This trade represents a 39.18 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EXC. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Exelon during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in Exelon in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Stephens Consulting LLC raised its stake in Exelon by 78.1% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new position in Exelon in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Exelon in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.92% of the company’s stock.

Exelon Stock Performance

EXC opened at $44.59 on Friday. Exelon has a 52-week low of $34.01 and a 52-week high of $45.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The company has a market cap of $44.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.51. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $41.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.91.

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. Exelon had a net margin of 10.68% and a return on equity of 9.52%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Exelon will post 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exelon Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This is a positive change from Exelon’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Exelon’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.31%.

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.