Portland General Electric Company (POR) - What Are Brokerages Thinking About This Stock?

Key Points

• Broker sentiment is neutral: Eleven analysts have an average “Hold” rating on Portland General Electric, with nine holds and two buys. The average 12-month price target is $50.15, above the reported $44.21 share price.
• Quarterly results slightly missed expectations: Portland General Electric reported earnings of $0.64 per share versus the $0.65 consensus estimate, while revenue of $814 million came in below the $839.75 million forecast.
• The stock offers a high dividend yield: The company declared an annualized dividend of $2.21 per share, yielding approximately 5.0%, though its dividend payout ratio is elevated at 96.92%.

Portland General Electric Company (NYSE:POR - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the eleven brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $50.15.

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp restated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Portland General Electric in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Zacks Research upgraded Portland General Electric from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings cut Portland General Electric from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Portland General Electric from $56.00 to $53.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Portland General Electric from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $48.50 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 13th.

Portland General Electric Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of POR opened at $44.21 on Friday. Portland General Electric has a one year low of $43.26 and a one year high of $54.62. The company has a market cap of $5.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.82.

Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.65 by ($0.01). Portland General Electric had a return on equity of 7.47% and a net margin of 7.27%. The business had revenue of $814.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $839.75 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.66 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Portland General Electric will post 3.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Portland General Electric Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 25th were paid a $0.5513 dividend. This represents a $2.21 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 25th. Portland General Electric's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.92%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Michael Lewis sold 1,537 shares of Portland General Electric stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.83, for a total transaction of $79,662.71. Following the sale, the director directly owned 15,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $779,782.35. The trade was a 9.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.52% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Portland General Electric

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank & Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Portland General Electric by 2.0% during the second quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 10,115 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $524,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Portland General Electric by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 10,997 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $580,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Portland General Electric by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,588 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $393,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming boosted its holdings in shares of Portland General Electric by 32.9% during the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,193 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 295 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Portland General Electric by 83.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 695 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares in the last quarter.

Portland General Electric Company Profile

Portland General Electric Company NYSE: POR is an investor-owned electric utility headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1889, the company generates, purchases, transmits, distributes and sells electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers throughout much of Oregon.

Portland General Electric operates a diverse energy portfolio that includes hydroelectric, wind, solar, natural gas and other resources, while also purchasing electricity through wholesale markets and power agreements.

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