JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers Pacific Gas & Electric (NYSE:PCG) Price Target to $18.00

Key Points

• JPMorgan cut its price target for Pacific Gas & Electric to $18 from $25 but maintained an “overweight” rating, implying 33.82% upside from the stock’s previous close.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: PCG has a consensus “Hold” rating and a $19.27 price target, while UBS remains bullish and Mizuho and BMO have lowered their targets.
• Shares fell to $13.45, near the reported $12.59 52-week low. Investors continue to weigh PG&E’s earnings guidance and planned spending reductions against unresolved wildfire-liability risks.

Pacific Gas & Electric (NYSE:PCG - Get Free Report) had its price objective dropped by investment analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $25.00 to $18.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the utilities provider's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price objective suggests a potential upside of 33.82% from the stock's previous close.

PCG has been the topic of several other research reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Pacific Gas & Electric in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Weiss Ratings lowered Pacific Gas & Electric from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $21.00 price objective (down from $28.00) on shares of Pacific Gas & Electric in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Pacific Gas & Electric from an "overweight" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Mizuho restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $16.00 price target (down from $21.00) on shares of Pacific Gas & Electric in a report on Monday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $19.27.

Pacific Gas & Electric Price Performance

Shares of PCG stock traded down $0.61 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $13.45. The company had a trading volume of 79,521,627 shares, compared to its average volume of 24,027,072. The stock's 50-day moving average is $17.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. Pacific Gas & Electric has a 52 week low of $12.59 and a 52 week high of $19.16.

Pacific Gas & Electric (NYSE:PCG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.04. Pacific Gas & Electric had a net margin of 12.25% and a return on equity of 12.48%. The firm had revenue of $5.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.31 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Pacific Gas & Electric has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.640-1.660 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Pacific Gas & Electric will post 1.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Marlene Santos sold 158,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total transaction of $2,848,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 230,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,155,930. The trade was a 40.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in Pacific Gas & Electric during the first quarter valued at $203,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Pacific Gas & Electric by 16.4% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 46,936 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $806,000 after acquiring an additional 6,601 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP raised its position in Pacific Gas & Electric by 41.2% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 185,324 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,184,000 after acquiring an additional 54,033 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in Pacific Gas & Electric by 93.0% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 83,816 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,440,000 after acquiring an additional 40,380 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lifted its holdings in Pacific Gas & Electric by 499.7% in the second quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 433,064 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $6,037,000 after acquiring an additional 360,845 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.56% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Pacific Gas & Electric

Here are the key news stories impacting Pacific Gas & Electric this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PG&E plans to defer approximately $2 billion of 2027 spending while preserving critical safety and compliance work. The revised plan calls for about $11.4 billion of California investment and could reduce reliance on higher-cost borrowing. The company maintained its 2026 earnings guidance and indicated a higher 2027 EPS outlook. PG&E to invest $11.4 billion in California in 2027 as part of strategic review
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s strategic review could identify new financing, organizational and cost-saving options aimed at attracting investment and keeping customer bills affordable while meeting California’s rising energy demand. PG&E Launches Strategic Review
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical analysts identify roughly $13 as a potential long-term support level after the wildfire-driven selloff, although a sustained recovery would likely require clarity on liability exposure. Stock of the Day: Will PG&E Remember this Important Level?
• Negative Sentiment: California lawmakers reportedly killed a wildfire bill that did not provide liability protection for utilities. The absence of a clear liability framework leaves investors concerned that future wildfire claims could create substantial financial obligations for PG&E. Why PG&E Stock Keeps Going Down
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America downgraded PCG to “neutral” and cut its price target to $13 from $24, while Wells Fargo reiterated an “equal weight” rating. These calls reinforce caution around the stock’s risk-reward profile. Wells Fargo Reiterates Equal Weight Rating

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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