Edison International Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:EIX)

Edison International (NYSE:EIX) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 9,339 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 49% compared to the typical volume of 6,264 call options.

Institutional Trading of Edison International

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Edison International during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Edison International in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Edison International by 285.3% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 420 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. Bellwether Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Edison International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in Edison International by 88.1% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 427 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 88.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Edison International Stock Performance

EIX opened at $59.92 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $54.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $71.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.07 billion, a PE ratio of 17.57, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.88. Edison International has a 52-week low of $49.06 and a 52-week high of $88.77.

Edison International (NYSE:EIX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $17.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.92 billion. Edison International had a net margin of 8.52% and a return on equity of 13.17%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Edison International will post 4.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Edison International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 7th will be issued a $0.8275 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 7th. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.52%. Edison International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 100.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $72.00 price target on shares of Edison International in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Guggenheim lowered Edison International from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Edison International from $88.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Edison International from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Edison International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $65.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $76.82.

About Edison International

Edison International, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation and distribution of electric power. The company supplies and delivers electricity to approximately 50,000 square mile area of southern California to residential, commercial, industrial, public authorities, agricultural, and other sectors.