Ausbil Investment Management Ltd Boosts Position in Edison International (NYSE:EIX)

Ausbil Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in Edison International (NYSE:EIX - Free Report) by 54.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 135,099 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 47,784 shares during the quarter. Edison International accounts for approximately 5.2% of Ausbil Investment Management Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Edison International were worth $9,658,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Edison International by 1.7% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,530,226 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,121,569,000 after purchasing an additional 731,841 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. raised its position in shares of Edison International by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 37,085,024 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,575,555,000 after purchasing an additional 946,430 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Edison International by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,623,789 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,987,922,000 after purchasing an additional 244,115 shares in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its position in Edison International by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 13,316,887 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $842,826,000 after purchasing an additional 197,259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Edison International by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,842,171 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $622,911,000 after purchasing an additional 317,297 shares in the last quarter. 88.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on EIX shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Edison International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 24th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Edison International from $76.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Edison International from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Edison International from $81.00 to $80.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Edison International from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $73.50.

Edison International Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE:EIX traded up $0.16 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $68.96. The stock had a trading volume of 1,282,751 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,445,112. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. Edison International has a twelve month low of $58.82 and a twelve month high of $74.92. The company has a market capitalization of $26.52 billion, a PE ratio of 22.05, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.96. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.15.

Edison International (NYSE:EIX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The utilities provider reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.12. Edison International had a net margin of 8.35% and a return on equity of 12.63%. The business had revenue of $3.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.14 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Edison International will post 4.99 EPS for the current year.

Edison International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.52%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. Edison International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 100.00%.

About Edison International

Edison International, through its subsidiaries, generates and distributes electric power. The company supplies electricity to approximately 50,000 square mile area of southern California to residential, commercial, industrial, public authorities, agricultural, and other sectors. It also owns solar, hydro, and natural gas electric generating facilities.