Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC Boosts Stake in Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC)

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 353,571 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,132 shares during the quarter. Exelon comprises approximately 1.0% of Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Exelon were worth $13,309,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Stephens Consulting LLC raised its position in Exelon by 78.1% in the fourth 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. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Exelon in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Exelon in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its holdings in shares of Exelon by 119.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 942 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 513 shares during the period. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Exelon during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. 80.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EXC has been the subject of several research reports. Guggenheim raised Exelon from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Exelon in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Exelon from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $43.00 to $44.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Exelon from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price objective on Exelon from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Exelon currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.13.

Exelon Stock Performance

Shares of EXC stock opened at $44.19 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $44.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.04, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.51. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $41.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $39.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. Exelon Co. has a 12 month low of $34.01 and a 12 month high of $45.20.

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Exelon Co. will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exelon Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.62%. This is a boost from Exelon’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Exelon’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.31%.

Insider Transactions at Exelon

In other news, EVP Colette D. Honorable sold 1,463 shares of Exelon stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.57, for a total transaction of $59,353.91. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 2,271 shares in the company, valued at approximately $92,134.47. The trade was a 39.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.