Plato Investment Management Ltd Increases Stock Position in Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC)

Plato Investment Management Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC) by 104.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 60,574 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 30,978 shares during the quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Exelon were worth $2,288,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stephens Consulting LLC boosted its stake in Exelon by 78.1% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 782 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 343 shares during the period. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Exelon during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Exelon during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Exelon during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its position in shares of Exelon by 119.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 942 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 513 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.92% of the company’s stock.

Exelon Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:EXC opened at $44.55 on Tuesday. 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 fifty-two week low of $34.01 and a fifty-two week high of $44.62. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $40.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $39.40. The stock has a market cap of $44.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.56.

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. As a group, equities research 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 will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.59%. This is a boost from Exelon’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Exelon’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on EXC shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Exelon from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Guggenheim raised shares of Exelon from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Evercore ISI raised shares of Exelon from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $43.00 to $44.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Exelon from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Exelon from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Exelon has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.