Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. Acquires Shares of 197,500 Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC)

Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. acquired a new position in shares of Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 197,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,434,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of EXC. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Exelon during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Stephens Consulting LLC raised its holdings in Exelon by 78.1% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 782 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 343 shares in the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new position in Exelon in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Exelon during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its position in shares of Exelon by 119.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 942 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 513 shares during the last quarter. 80.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Exelon Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EXC traded down $0.11 during trading on Friday, reaching $46.22. 6,269,631 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,264,982. Exelon Co. has a 12 month low of $34.01 and a 12 month high of $48.11. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $44.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $41.03. 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 market cap of $46.66 billion, a PE ratio of 18.87, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.39.

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Exelon Co. will post 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exelon Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.46%. This is an increase from Exelon's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Exelon's payout ratio is currently 65.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Colette D. Honorable sold 1,463 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.57, for a total value of $59,353.91. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Exelon from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI restated an "in-line" rating and set a $48.00 price objective (up from $46.00) on shares of Exelon in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Exelon from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Guggenheim set a $47.00 price target on Exelon and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Exelon from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $45.78.

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.