Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (NYSE:PCG) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (NYSE:PCG) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fourteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $21.2727.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on PCG. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $19.00 target price (down from $20.00) on shares of Pacific Gas & Electric in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. UBS Group raised shares of Pacific Gas & Electric from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Mizuho set a $21.00 price target on shares of Pacific Gas & Electric in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Pacific Gas & Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Pacific Gas & Electric in a report on Thursday, December 4th.

Insider Transactions at Pacific Gas & Electric

In other news, Director Kerry Whorton Cooper sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.68, for a total value of $46,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 73,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,366,273.88. This represents a 3.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John R. Simon sold 45,607 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total value of $820,926.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 392,303 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,061,454. This represents a 10.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 84,286 shares of company stock worth $1,528,746. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pacific Gas & Electric in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Pacific Gas & Electric by 826.2% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,945 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,735 shares during the last quarter. Tobam purchased a new position in Pacific Gas & Electric in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in Pacific Gas & Electric in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in Pacific Gas & Electric by 3,240.8% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 2,372 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 2,301 shares during the last quarter. 78.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pacific Gas & Electric Price Performance

NYSE:PCG opened at $17.48 on Tuesday. Pacific Gas & Electric has a 52-week low of $12.97 and a 52-week high of $19.16. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $17.28 and a 200 day moving average of $16.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.81, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.33.

Pacific Gas & Electric (NYSE:PCG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.36. The firm had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.05 billion. Pacific Gas & Electric had a return on equity of 11.28% and a net margin of 10.84%.During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.31 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Pacific Gas & Electric will post 1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pacific Gas & Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Pacific Gas & Electric’s payout ratio is 16.95%.

About Pacific Gas & Electric

Pacific Gas & Electric (NYSE: PCG) is an investor-owned utility holding company whose principal operating subsidiary, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, provides electricity and natural gas service in northern and central California. The company’s core activities include the generation, procurement, transmission and distribution of electric power, as well as the transmission and distribution of natural gas. PG&E serves a broad mix of residential, commercial, and industrial customers across urban and rural communities within its California service territory.

PG&E’s operations encompass utility infrastructure planning and construction, grid operations, customer service and energy procurement.