Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) Reaches New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $43.48 and last traded at $43.46, with a volume of 2057343 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $43.17.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on EXC shares. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Exelon from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Exelon from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $43.00 to $44.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Exelon in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Guggenheim raised shares of Exelon from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Exelon from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.38.

Exelon Trading Up 0.5 %

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $39.41 and a 200-day moving average of $39.10. The company has a market capitalization of $43.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.56. 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 (NASDAQ:EXC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Exelon Co. will post 2.64 EPS for the current year.

Exelon Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This is an increase from Exelon’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.69%. Exelon’s payout ratio is 62.04%.

Insider Activity at Exelon

In other Exelon news, EVP Colette D. Honorable sold 1,463 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 2,271 shares in the company, valued at $92,134.47. This represents a 39.18 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Exelon in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Stephens Consulting LLC raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 343 shares in the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Exelon during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Exelon during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Exelon during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. 80.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.