Pacific Gas & Electric Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:PCG)

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (NYSE:PCG) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 45,532 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 77% compared to the typical daily volume of 25,797 call options.

Pacific Gas & Electric Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE PCG traded up $0.35 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $17.45. 20,771,888 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 21,981,479. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $15.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.59. Pacific Gas & Electric has a 12 month low of $12.97 and a 12 month high of $17.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81.

Pacific Gas & Electric (NYSE:PCG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The utilities provider reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36. The business had revenue of $6.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.05 billion. Pacific Gas & Electric had a net margin of 10.93% and a return on equity of 11.10%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.31 earnings per share. Pacific Gas & Electric has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.640-1.660 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Pacific Gas & Electric will post 1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pacific Gas & Electric Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. This is an increase from Pacific Gas & Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.03. Pacific Gas & Electric’s dividend payout ratio is 16.81%.

Pacific Gas & Electric News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: PG&E narrowed and slightly raised its FY‑2026 EPS guidance to $1.64–$1.66, which is above the prior consensus (~$1.63); that better‑than‑expected guidance is a key reason the stock is trading up. PG&E Corporation Reports Solid 2025 Results, Tightens 2026 Earnings Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 adjusted EPS came in at $0.36 (roughly matching consensus) and improved from $0.31 a year earlier, showing operating momentum and supporting the buy‑side reaction. PG&E (PCG) Q4 Earnings Match Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street sentiment and price targets remain constructive (median analyst target ~$21) with multiple buy/overweight ratings, which supports upward price momentum. PG&E ($PCG) Releases Q4 2025 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Company reiterated solid full‑year 2025 results (GAAP and adjusted metrics) and provided slide deck/press release for investors to review — helpful for transparency but not a catalyst by itself. View Press Release / Slide Deck
• Neutral Sentiment: PG&E’s dividend yield is modest (~1.2%) and yield‑oriented strategies have been discussed in the press, but the payout is not a major near‑term driver of price moves. How To Earn $500 A Month From PG&E Stock Ahead Of Q4 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed consensus — quarterly revenue of roughly $6.8B came in below analyst estimates (~$7.0B), which caps upside and explains some of the mixed market reaction. PG&E Q4 Earnings in Line With Estimates, Revenues Increase Y/Y
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP net income fell year‑over‑year for the quarter, and coverage noted the profit decline even as adjusted guidance was tightened — a reminder of underlying business and regulatory pressures. PG&E Profit Down, Tightens Adj EPS View for Year

Institutional Trading of Pacific Gas & Electric

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PCG. Pinebridge Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Pacific Gas & Electric in the fourth quarter worth about $28,967,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Pacific Gas & Electric by 3.0% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 58,079,843 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $819,447,000 after acquiring an additional 1,676,093 shares in the last quarter. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Pacific Gas & Electric by 510.0% during the second quarter. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC now owns 960,456 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $13,389,000 after acquiring an additional 803,000 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Pacific Gas & Electric by 3,875.9% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 639,689 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $10,280,000 after purchasing an additional 623,600 shares during the period. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S grew its stake 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 worth $6,037,000 after purchasing an additional 360,845 shares in the last quarter. 78.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on PCG. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Pacific Gas & Electric from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Mizuho set a $21.00 target price on Pacific Gas & Electric in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Pacific Gas & Electric in a report on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Pacific Gas & Electric from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Pacific Gas & Electric in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $20.55.

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.