Edison International Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:EIX)

Edison International (NYSE:EIX - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors purchased 6,480 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 156% compared to the typical daily volume of 2,531 call options.

Edison International Price Performance

EIX traded down $0.14 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $61.16. The company had a trading volume of 7,409,410 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,928,246. Edison International has a twelve month low of $55.27 and a twelve month high of $88.77. The company has a market capitalization of $23.68 billion, a PE ratio of 17.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.88. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $80.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $81.48.

Edison International (NYSE:EIX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.13. Edison International had a return on equity of 13.17% and a net margin of 8.52%. The firm had revenue of $5.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.01 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.38 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Edison International will post 4.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Edison International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 7th will be issued a $0.8275 dividend. This is a positive change from Edison International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.78. This represents a $3.31 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 7th. Edison International's dividend payout ratio is currently 97.07%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Edison International

In other news, VP Adam S. Umanoff sold 25,619 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.05, for a total transaction of $2,127,657.95. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Edison International

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EIX. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in shares of Edison International in the 3rd quarter worth $1,387,000. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its stake in Edison International by 5.2% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 309,716 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,973,000 after buying an additional 15,181 shares during the period. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp boosted its holdings in Edison International by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 80,908 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $6,460,000 after buying an additional 5,011 shares during the last quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Edison International during the 3rd quarter worth about $2,291,000. Finally, Swedbank AB grew its position in shares of Edison International by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 506,819 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $44,139,000 after buying an additional 60,182 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.95% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on EIX shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Edison International from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Edison International in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $93.00 target price for the company. Barclays decreased their price target on Edison International from $84.00 to $76.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Edison International from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Edison International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $56.50 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $83.58.

About Edison International

Edison International, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation and distribution of electric power. The company supplies and delivers electricity to approximately 50,000 square mile area of southern California to residential, commercial, industrial, public authorities, agricultural, and other sectors.