Pacific Gas & Electric (NYSE:PCG) Sees Large Volume Increase - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• PG&E shares fell 9.5% to $16.21 while trading volume surged to 54.4 million shares, roughly 150% above the prior session.
• Analysts remain broadly constructive, with seven Buy ratings and three Holds; the stock has a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $22.20, despite several recent target-price cuts.
• PG&E exceeded quarterly EPS expectations at $0.40 versus $0.36, though revenue of $5.90 billion came in below the $6.20 billion estimate. The company maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $1.64–$1.66.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (NYSE:PCG - Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday . 54,372,800 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 150% from the previous session's volume of 21,713,076 shares.The stock last traded at $16.21 and had previously closed at $17.95.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on PCG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Pacific Gas & Electric from $24.00 to $23.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 15th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Pacific Gas & Electric from $28.00 to $27.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Pacific Gas & Electric from $23.00 to $21.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Pacific Gas & Electric from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Pacific Gas & Electric from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 25th. Seven equities 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, Pacific Gas & Electric presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $22.20.

Pacific Gas & Electric Trading Down 9.5%

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $17.40 and a 200 day moving average of $17.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.78, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.28.

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

Insider Transactions at Pacific Gas & Electric

In related news, EVP Marlene Santos sold 158,250 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 230,885 shares in the company, valued at $4,155,930. This represents a 40.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Pacific Gas & Electric

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CoreCap Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Pacific Gas & Electric by 13.1% during the second quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 5,843 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $98,000 after acquiring an additional 677 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted 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 valued at $288,000 after purchasing an additional 885 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of 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 valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 1,088 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI increased its position in shares of Pacific Gas & Electric by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 42,734 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $687,000 after purchasing an additional 1,142 shares during the period. Finally, Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Pacific Gas & Electric in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. 78.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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