Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) Trading Down 0.9% – Should You Sell?

Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC)’s share price was down 0.9% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $42.85 and last traded at $44.10. Approximately 12,771,666 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 81% from the average daily volume of 7,074,847 shares. The stock had previously closed at $44.49.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EXC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Exelon from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Evercore ISI raised shares of Exelon from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $43.00 to $44.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays raised their price objective on Exelon from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Exelon from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Exelon currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.13.

Exelon Stock Up 2.0 %

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 50 day simple moving average of $43.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $40.59. The company has a market capitalization of $46.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.78, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.39.

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.64 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 period in the previous year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Exelon Co. will post 2.64 EPS for the current year.

Exelon Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.48%. This is an increase from Exelon’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Exelon’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 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. This represents a 39.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Exelon

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

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.