Analysts Set Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC) Target Price at $42.00

Shares of Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nine analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $42.00.

EXC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Exelon from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Scotiabank upped their target price on Exelon from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Exelon from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays lifted their price objective on Exelon from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Exelon in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $46.00 target price on the stock.

Exelon Stock Performance

Shares of Exelon stock opened at $37.53 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $38.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.04. Exelon has a 52 week low of $33.35 and a 52 week high of $41.19. The company has a market capitalization of $37.71 billion, a PE ratio of 15.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.55.

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.04. Exelon had a net margin of 10.60% and a return on equity of 9.47%. The firm had revenue of $6.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Exelon will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Exelon Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.05%. Exelon’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.55%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exelon

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Exelon by 3.5% during the third quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,533 shares of the company’s stock valued at $305,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in Exelon by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 28,392 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,151,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Black Diamond Financial LLC increased its stake in Exelon by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Black Diamond Financial LLC now owns 14,067 shares of the company’s stock valued at $487,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Exelon by 2.1% in the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 13,922 shares of the company’s stock worth $565,000 after buying an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ledyard National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Exelon by 5.1% during the third quarter. Ledyard National Bank now owns 6,348 shares of the company’s stock worth $257,000 after buying an additional 308 shares during the period. 80.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.