Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd Raises Holdings in Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC)

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Exelon Co. (NASDAQ:EXC) by 28.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 59,137 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 13,051 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd’s holdings in Exelon were worth $2,175,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Stephens Consulting LLC raised its stake in shares of Exelon by 78.1% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 782 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 343 shares in the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Exelon during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Exelon during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its stake 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 buying an additional 513 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Exelon during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. 80.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Exelon Price Performance

EXC stock opened at $44.44 on Thursday. Exelon Co. has a 52-week low of $34.01 and a 52-week high of $45.20. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $41.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $39.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.51.

Exelon (NASDAQ:EXC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Exelon Co. will post 2.64 EPS for the current 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 $0.40 dividend. This is a positive change from Exelon’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. Exelon’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on EXC shares. Scotiabank upped their price target on Exelon from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Exelon in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Guggenheim upgraded Exelon from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays upped their price target on Exelon from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Exelon from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Colette D. Honorable sold 1,463 shares of the 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 directly owns 2,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $92,134.47. This trade represents a 39.18 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Exelon 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.