Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Buys 3,409 Shares of Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC) by 54.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,661 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,409 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Exelon were worth $364,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Exelon by 47.7% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $294,000 after buying an additional 2,339 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in shares of Exelon by 2.5% during the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 123,357 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,002,000 after acquiring an additional 3,045 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Exelon by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 28,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,151,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in Exelon by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 288,934 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,771,000 after purchasing an additional 30,639 shares during the period. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its holdings in Exelon by 101.8% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,344,978 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,539,000 after purchasing an additional 678,490 shares in the last quarter. 80.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Exelon Stock Performance

NASDAQ EXC opened at $43.68 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.56. 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’s fifty day moving average price is $40.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.44. Exelon Co. has a 1 year low of $34.01 and a 1 year high of $45.20.

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 period in the previous year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Exelon Co. will post 2.64 EPS for the current year.

Exelon Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.66%. This is a boost from Exelon’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. Exelon’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on EXC shares. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Exelon from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Guggenheim upgraded shares of Exelon from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Exelon from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Exelon from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $43.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Exelon from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.13.

Insider Transactions at Exelon

In other Exelon 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 transaction of $59,353.91. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 2,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $92,134.47. This trade represents a 39.18 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.