Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) Shares Cross Above 200 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ:EXC) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $45.63 and traded as high as $45.99. Exelon shares last traded at $45.65, with a volume of 7,414,157 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on EXC. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Exelon from $50.00 to $49.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Exelon from $45.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of Exelon from $47.00 to $44.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Barclays decreased their price target on Exelon from $49.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Finally, HSBC assumed coverage on Exelon in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $44.00 price objective for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.33.

Exelon Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $47.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.26, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a 50 day moving average of $43.11 and a 200-day moving average of $45.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70.

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $7.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.76 billion. Exelon had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 9.75%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.86 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Exelon Corporation will post 2.87 EPS for the current year.

Exelon Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 4th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 4th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. Exelon’s payout ratio is 65.37%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exelon

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EXC. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Exelon during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,281,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. increased its position in Exelon by 2.8% in the third quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 56,694 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,290,000 after buying an additional 1,569 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its position in Exelon by 30.2% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 78,814 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,184,000 after buying an additional 18,279 shares during the period. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC acquired a new stake in Exelon in the third quarter worth $709,000. Finally, Composition Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Exelon by 30.2% in the third quarter. Composition Wealth LLC now owns 8,360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $338,000 after buying an additional 1,941 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.92% of the company’s stock.

Exelon Company Profile

Exelon is a regulated energy delivery company that operates electric and natural gas utilities. Its businesses deliver energy to homes and businesses, maintain utility infrastructure, and provide related customer services. The company serves customers in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia through utilities including ComEd, PECO, BGE, Pepco, Delmarva Power, and Atlantic City Electric. Exelon was formed in 2000 through the merger of PECO Energy and Unicom, then the parent of Commonwealth Edison.