Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $79.81.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ETR. Bank of America downgraded shares of Entergy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $77.00 in a research report on Monday, November 4th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Entergy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.50 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Barclays increased their price target on Entergy from $68.50 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Entergy from $72.50 to $82.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Entergy from $68.50 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th.

Insider Activity at Entergy

In related news, insider Haley Fisackerly sold 8,268 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.52, for a total value of $616,090.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,032 shares in the company, valued at approximately $300,444.48. This represents a 67.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Deanna D. Rodriguez sold 6,088 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.94, for a total transaction of $450,146.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $292,210.88. The trade was a 60.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,756 shares of company stock valued at $1,095,637 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Entergy

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ETR. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Entergy in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Entergy by 423.8% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 220 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new position in Entergy during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Coastline Trust Co acquired a new position in Entergy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Entergy in the third quarter worth $42,000. 88.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Entergy Stock Performance

ETR opened at $81.17 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Entergy has a 1 year low of $48.08 and a 1 year high of $84.26. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.80. The company has a market capitalization of $34.81 billion, a PE ratio of 19.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.71.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $3.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.46 billion. Entergy had a return on equity of 9.53% and a net margin of 14.83%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.64 EPS. Research analysts expect that Entergy will post 3.59 EPS for the current year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.96%. Entergy’s payout ratio is 58.39%.

About Entergy

Entergy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production and retail distribution of electricity in the United States. It generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power in portions of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, including the City of New Orleans; and distributes natural gas.