PG&E Co. (NYSE:PCG) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of PG&E Co. (NYSE:PCG - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the ten research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $22.80.

PCG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays cut their price objective on PG&E from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of PG&E from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of PG&E in a research report on Monday, October 14th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $24.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of PG&E in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set a "buy" rating and a $24.00 target price for the company. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on shares of PG&E from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th.

PG&E Stock Performance

NYSE PCG traded up $0.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $20.40. 12,577,826 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,820,514. The company has a market capitalization of $53.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.04. The business's 50 day moving average is $20.46 and its 200-day moving average is $19.44. PG&E has a 1 year low of $15.94 and a 1 year high of $21.72.

PG&E (NYSE:PCG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.05. PG&E had a net margin of 11.11% and a return on equity of 12.51%. The business had revenue of $5.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.24 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that PG&E will post 1.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PG&E Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.025 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.49%. This is a positive change from PG&E's previous quarterly dividend of $0.01. PG&E's payout ratio is 7.81%.

Insider Buying and Selling at PG&E

In related news, CEO Patricia K. Poppe sold 55,555 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.66, for a total value of $1,147,766.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,460,222 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,168,186.52. This represents a 3.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.15% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of PG&E

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in PG&E during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in PG&E by 68.3% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,543 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 626 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in PG&E during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $44,000. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in PG&E during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $74,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in PG&E by 77.7% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,195 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 1,834 shares during the period. 78.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PG&E Company Profile

PG&E Corporation, through its subsidiary, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, engages in the sale and delivery of electricity and natural gas to customers in northern and central California, the United States. It generates electricity using nuclear, hydroelectric, fossil fuel-fired, fuel cell, and photovoltaic sources.