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

Key Points

• Unusual options activity: Investors bought 53,587 Pacific Gas & Electric call options on Thursday, about 69% above the stock’s average daily call volume, signaling notable bullish trading interest.
• Q2 earnings beat expectations: PG&E reported EPS of $0.40 versus the $0.36 consensus, helped by higher customer bills, lower costs, and stronger power demand tied partly to AI data centers.
• Mixed fundamentals and outlook: Revenue came in below estimates at $5.9 billion, and the company kept FY 2026 EPS guidance unchanged at $1.64 to $1.66, while analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with a $22.30 average price target.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (NYSE:PCG - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Thursday. Stock investors purchased 53,587 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 69% compared to the average daily volume of 31,786 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Pacific Gas & Electric news, EVP Jason M. Glickman sold 47,264 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.35, for a total transaction of $772,766.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 136,433 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,230,679.55. The trade was a 25.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in Pacific Gas & Electric in the 1st quarter valued at $203,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position 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 lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 54,033 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 40,380 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 360,845 shares during the period. 78.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Pacific Gas & Electric

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

• Positive Sentiment: Pacific Gas & Electric beat Q2 profit expectations, reporting EPS of $0.40 versus the $0.36 consensus, helped by higher customer bills, lower costs, and stronger power demand tied in part to AI data centers. Utility PG&E beats quarterly profit estimates on higher rates
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s Q2 results also showed EPS above estimates in other coverage, reinforcing the view that earnings are holding up even though revenue came in below forecasts. PG&E (PCG) Beats Q2 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity also points to bullish positioning, with investors buying 53,587 call options, well above recent average call volume.
• Neutral Sentiment: PG&E maintained FY 2026 EPS guidance of $1.64 to $1.66, roughly in line with expectations, which suggests management is not materially changing its outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue for the quarter was $5.9 billion, below estimates, so investors may balance the earnings beat against softer top-line performance.
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing wildfire-safety spending remains a cost headwind and could temper enthusiasm, even with the quarter’s profit beat. Utility PG&E beats quarterly profit estimates on higher rates

Pacific Gas & Electric Stock Performance

PCG traded down $0.27 on Thursday, reaching $17.84. The stock had a trading volume of 4,354,944 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,638,088. Pacific Gas & Electric has a 12-month low of $13.31 and a 12-month high of $19.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88. The business's 50-day moving average price is $16.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $16.96. The company has a market cap of $47.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.27.

Pacific Gas & Electric (NYSE:PCG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.04. Pacific Gas & Electric had a net margin of 11.44% and a return on equity of 11.95%. The business had revenue of $5.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.31 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. Pacific Gas & Electric has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.640-1.660 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Pacific Gas & Electric will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Pacific Gas & Electric Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. Pacific Gas & Electric's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on PCG shares. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Pacific Gas & Electric in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Pacific Gas & Electric from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Pacific Gas & Electric from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 18th. Wall Street Zen raised Pacific Gas & Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Pacific Gas & Electric from $28.00 to $27.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $22.30.

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.

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