Raymond James Financial Inc. Purchases New Position in Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 645,130 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,283,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Exelon at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Exelon by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 127,335,351 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,792,903,000 after buying an additional 3,064,673 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Exelon by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 26,314,296 shares of the company's stock valued at $988,080,000 after purchasing an additional 368,505 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in Exelon by 46.9% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 17,306,652 shares of the company's stock worth $651,422,000 after purchasing an additional 5,524,103 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Exelon by 25.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,718,745 shares of the company's stock worth $516,374,000 after purchasing an additional 2,817,174 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Exelon during the 4th quarter valued at about $479,597,000. 80.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Exelon Stock Performance

NASDAQ:EXC traded up $1.14 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $47.37. 7,381,381 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,232,020. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $44.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $40.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.39. Exelon Co. has a 12 month low of $34.01 and a 12 month high of $48.11.

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) 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 last year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Exelon Co. will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exelon Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This is an increase from Exelon's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.38%. Exelon's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on EXC shares. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Exelon in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Exelon from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Exelon from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Scotiabank raised their target price on Exelon from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Guggenheim upgraded Exelon from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Exelon has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $45.63.

Insider Activity at Exelon

In related news, EVP Colette D. Honorable sold 1,463 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.57, for a total value of $59,353.91. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 2,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at $92,134.47. The trade was a 39.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Exelon Company 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.