Edison International (NYSE:EIX) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Edison International (NYSE:EIX) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $88.75.

Several research firms recently weighed in on EIX. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Edison International from $86.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Edison International in a report on Thursday, November 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Edison International from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Edison International from $82.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Edison International from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th.

Edison International Price Performance

NYSE:EIX opened at $84.33 on Friday. Edison International has a one year low of $63.15 and a one year high of $88.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.88. The firm has a market cap of $32.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.73, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.92. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $84.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.78.

Edison International (NYSE:EIX) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.13. Edison International had a net margin of 8.52% and a return on equity of 13.17%. The business had revenue of $5.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.38 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Edison International will post 4.94 EPS for the current year.

Edison International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 7th were given a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 7th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.70%. Edison International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 91.50%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Adam S. Umanoff sold 25,619 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.05, for a total value of $2,127,657.95. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Edison International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in Edison International during the 3rd quarter worth $1,387,000. Swedbank AB increased its stake in Edison International by 76.3% in the second quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 446,637 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,073,000 after purchasing an additional 193,307 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in Edison International by 150.6% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 169,742 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $12,004,000 after purchasing an additional 102,000 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in Edison International by 955.8% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 104,805 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,413,000 after purchasing an additional 94,878 shares during the period. Finally, Baker Avenue Asset Management LP acquired a new position in Edison International in the third quarter valued at $2,291,000. 88.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Edison International

Edison International, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation and distribution of electric power. The company supplies and delivers electricity to approximately 50,000 square mile area of southern California to residential, commercial, industrial, public authorities, agricultural, and other sectors.