Pacific Gas & Electric (NYSE:PCG) Shares Up 6.5% – Should You Buy?

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (NYSE:PCG) shares were up 6.5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $14.79 and last traded at $14.1350. 72,455,557 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 213% from the average session volume of 23,125,996 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.27.

Key Stories Impacting Pacific Gas & Electric

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

• Positive Sentiment: California lawmakers reportedly killed a key wildfire bill that lacked liability protection for utilities, prompting PG&E and other California utility shares to rise. The development may reduce near-term concern that the legislation would formally leave utilities exposed under an unfavorable framework. PG&E Stock, Edison International Rise as California Lawmakers Kill Wildfire Bill
• Positive Sentiment: PCG shares were attempting to stabilize after plunging roughly 18% on Monday, when investors reacted sharply to the wildfire bill’s omission of liability protections. The rebound appears driven primarily by legislative news rather than a change in PG&E’s underlying financial outlook. What’s Happening With Pacific Gas & Electric Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinion remains mixed. Bank of America reaffirmed a Neutral rating but cut its price target to $13 from $24, while Wells Fargo maintained Equal Weight with a $24 target and Mizuho maintained Neutral with a $16 target. The target reductions reflect heightened wildfire-liability uncertainty.
• Negative Sentiment: The legislation’s failure to include protections that could limit utility liability means PG&E may still face substantial financial exposure if its equipment is linked to future wildfires. Analysts described the bill as emphasizing victim protections without adding new investor protections, a key reason for Monday’s sharp decline. PG&E, Other Utility Stocks Sink as California Leaves Investors Exposed to Wildfire Liability

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Pacific Gas & Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 25th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Pacific Gas & Electric from $23.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Pacific Gas & Electric from an “overweight” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group set a $13.00 target price on shares of Pacific Gas & Electric in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $21.00 target price (down from $28.00) on shares of Pacific Gas & Electric in a research report on Monday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pacific Gas & Electric presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $19.73.

Pacific Gas & Electric Trading Up 7.1%

The company has a market cap of $38.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.28. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $17.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90.

Pacific Gas & Electric (NYSE:PCG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.04. Pacific Gas & Electric had a return on equity of 12.48% and a net margin of 12.25%.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 business’s revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Pacific Gas & Electric has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.640-1.660 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Pacific Gas & Electric Co. will post 1.65 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Marlene Santos sold 158,250 shares of Pacific Gas & Electric 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 directly owned 230,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,155,930. The trade was a 40.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pacific Gas & Electric

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Pacific Gas & Electric during the second quarter valued at approximately $4,044,000. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new position in Pacific Gas & Electric during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,898,000. Harrison Street Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Pacific Gas & Electric during the 1st quarter worth $3,643,000. Horizon Investments LLC increased its position in Pacific Gas & Electric by 69.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 164,784 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,648,000 after buying an additional 67,677 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Pacific Gas & Electric by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 62,134,132 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,019,297,000 after buying an additional 1,132,249 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.56% of the company’s stock.

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.