Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC Grows Stock Position in Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC)

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 353,571 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,132 shares during the quarter. Exelon makes up 1.0% of Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Exelon were worth $13,309,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Stephens Consulting LLC boosted its position in Exelon by 78.1% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 782 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares in the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Exelon in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Exelon during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its position in Exelon by 119.6% during the fourth 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. purchased a new position in Exelon in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. 80.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Exelon Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of EXC stock opened at $44.19 on Friday. Exelon Co. has a fifty-two week low of $34.01 and a fifty-two week high of $45.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.87. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $41.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.04, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.51.

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. Research analysts expect that Exelon Co. will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exelon Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This is a positive change from Exelon’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.62%. Exelon’s dividend payout ratio is 65.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EXC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Exelon from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Exelon in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Exelon from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Evercore ISI upgraded Exelon from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $43.00 to $44.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $44.13.

Insider Activity at Exelon

In other news, EVP Colette D. Honorable sold 1,463 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 2,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $92,134.47. The trade was a 39.18 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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.