Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Pacific Gas & Electric (NYSE:PCG)

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (NYSE:PCG) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock investors acquired 86,727 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 69% compared to the average volume of 51,303 call options.

Pacific Gas & Electric Stock Up 1.2%

NYSE PCG opened at $18.33 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $49.12 billion, a PE ratio of 13.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.28. Pacific Gas & Electric has a one year low of $14.34 and a one year high of $19.16. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $17.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Pacific Gas & Electric (NYSE:PCG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.20 billion. Pacific Gas & Electric had a return on equity of 12.48% and a net margin of 12.25%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.31 EPS. Pacific Gas & Electric has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.640-1.660 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Pacific Gas & Electric will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on PCG shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded Pacific Gas & Electric from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Pacific Gas & Electric from $23.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Pacific Gas & Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Pacific Gas & Electric from $24.00 to $23.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Pacific Gas & Electric from $28.00 to $27.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 24th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $22.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pacific Gas & Electric

In related news, EVP Marlene Santos sold 158,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total value of $2,848,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 230,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,155,930. The trade was a 40.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pacific Gas & Electric

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PCG. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Pacific Gas & Electric by 13.1% in the 2nd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 5,843 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 677 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Pacific Gas & Electric by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 16,368 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $288,000 after buying an additional 885 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Pacific Gas & Electric by 19.6% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 6,636 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $112,000 after buying an additional 1,088 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI boosted its holdings in Pacific Gas & Electric by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 42,734 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $687,000 after acquiring an additional 1,142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Pacific Gas & Electric in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 78.56% of the company’s stock.

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.