Pacific Gas & Electric (NYSE:PCG) Shares Cross Above 200 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Shares of Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (NYSE:PCG) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $15.13 and traded as high as $15.99. Pacific Gas & Electric shares last traded at $15.7320, with a volume of 30,608,399 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PCG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Pacific Gas & Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 9th. Morgan Stanley set a $21.00 price target on Pacific Gas & Electric and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Pacific Gas & Electric from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Pacific Gas & Electric from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Pacific Gas & Electric from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Pacific Gas & Electric has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $20.55.

Pacific Gas & Electric Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $34.58 billion, a PE ratio of 13.22, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.37. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $15.97 and its 200 day moving average is $15.12.

Pacific Gas & Electric (NYSE:PCG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 15th. The utilities provider reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Pacific Gas & Electric had a net margin of 10.93% and a return on equity of 11.10%. The company had revenue of $5.80 billion during the quarter. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Pacific Gas & Electric Co. will post 1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pacific Gas & Electric Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. This is an increase from Pacific Gas & Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.03. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. Pacific Gas & Electric’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.40%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John O. Larsen purchased 7,500 shares of Pacific Gas & Electric stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $15.96 per share, for a total transaction of $119,700.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 18,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $289,051.56. The trade was a 70.68% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pacific Gas & Electric

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pacific Gas & Electric in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Pacific Gas & Electric by 826.2% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,945 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,735 shares during the last quarter. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new stake in Pacific Gas & Electric in the first quarter valued at $39,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Pacific Gas & Electric by 3,240.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 2,372 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 2,301 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pacific Gas & Electric during the 3rd quarter worth $44,000. 78.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pacific Gas & Electric Company Profile

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.