Morgan Stanley Increases Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) Price Target to $48.00

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) had its price target raised by Morgan Stanley from $46.00 to $48.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 9.59% from the stock’s current price.

EXC has been the topic of several other reports. Guggenheim raised shares of Exelon from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Exelon from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Evercore ISI upgraded Exelon from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $43.00 to $44.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Exelon in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on Exelon from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Exelon currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.13.

Exelon Trading Down 1.8 %

Exelon stock opened at $43.80 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $41.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.88, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.87. Exelon has a 52 week low of $34.01 and a 52 week high of $45.20.

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.64 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 prior year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Exelon will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exelon

In related news, EVP Colette D. Honorable sold 1,463 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 2,271 shares in the company, valued at approximately $92,134.47. This trade represents a 39.18 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Exelon during the 4th quarter worth $479,597,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in Exelon by 37.2% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 27,618,055 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,039,545,000 after acquiring an additional 7,483,873 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in Exelon by 46.9% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 17,306,652 shares of the company’s stock worth $651,422,000 after acquiring an additional 5,524,103 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Exelon by 43.3% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 12,846,030 shares of the company’s stock worth $483,525,000 after acquiring an additional 3,878,687 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Exelon by 109.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,884,282 shares of the company’s stock valued at $238,608,000 after purchasing an additional 3,068,309 shares in the last quarter. 80.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.