Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (NYSE:PEG) Shares Acquired by First Command Advisory Services Inc.

First Command Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (NYSE:PEG) by 116.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 765 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 412 shares during the period. First Command Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Public Service Enterprise Group were worth $65,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Public Service Enterprise Group during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Public Service Enterprise Group during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Public Service Enterprise Group during the 4th quarter worth $54,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Public Service Enterprise Group in the 4th quarter worth about $56,000. Finally, Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Public Service Enterprise Group in the 4th quarter worth about $57,000. 73.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Public Service Enterprise Group Trading Down 2.6 %

Shares of PEG stock opened at $80.76 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $84.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $85.99. The firm has a market cap of $40.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.84, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.64. Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $61.36 and a 1-year high of $95.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Public Service Enterprise Group (NYSE:PEG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.03 billion. Public Service Enterprise Group had a net margin of 19.48% and a return on equity of 10.70%. The company’s revenue was down 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.54 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated will post 3.67 EPS for the current year.

Public Service Enterprise Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from Public Service Enterprise Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Public Service Enterprise Group’s dividend payout ratio is 71.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Public Service Enterprise Group

In other Public Service Enterprise Group news, CEO Ralph A. Larossa sold 1,378 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.10, for a total value of $114,511.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 126,791 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,536,332.10. This trade represents a 1.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Public Service Enterprise Group from $73.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays lowered shares of Public Service Enterprise Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $88.00 to $84.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Public Service Enterprise Group from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $98.00 target price on shares of Public Service Enterprise Group in a report on Wednesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Public Service Enterprise Group from $85.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.50.

About Public Service Enterprise Group

Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, operates in electric and gas utility business in the United States. It operates through PSE&G and PSEG Power segments. The PSE&G segment transmits electricity; distributes electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers; and appliance services and repairs to customers through its service territory, as well as invests in solar generation projects, and energy efficiency and related programs.