Essential Planning LLC. Buys New Stake in Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC)

Essential Planning LLC. bought a new stake in Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 6,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $252,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stephens Consulting LLC lifted its stake in shares of Exelon by 78.1% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Exelon in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new stake in Exelon in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Exelon in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its holdings in Exelon by 119.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 942 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 513 shares in the last quarter. 80.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Exelon

In other Exelon news, EVP Colette D. Honorable sold 1,463 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.57, for a total value of $59,353.91. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 2,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $92,134.47. This represents a 39.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Exelon Price Performance

Exelon stock opened at $43.47 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. Exelon Co. has a 52-week low of $34.01 and a 52-week high of $45.19. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $41.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $39.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.74, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.51.

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 net margin of 10.68% and a return on equity of 9.52%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Exelon Co. will post 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exelon Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.68%. This is a positive change from Exelon’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Exelon’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on EXC shares. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Exelon from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Exelon in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Exelon from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Guggenheim raised shares of Exelon from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI raised shares of Exelon from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $43.00 to $44.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.13.

Exelon 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.