Blue Trust Inc. Acquires 329 Shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES)

Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) by 14.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,676 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Eversource Energy were worth $154,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Eversource Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Eversource Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Eversource Energy by 162.0% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 566 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Eversource Energy by 38.4% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 710 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new stake in Eversource Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 79.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Eversource Energy news, insider Frederica M. Williams sold 3,092 shares of Eversource Energy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.26, for a total value of $192,507.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 22,671 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,411,496.46. The trade was a 12.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Eversource Energy Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of Eversource Energy stock opened at $63.39 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $58.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.55. Eversource Energy has a 1 year low of $54.75 and a 1 year high of $69.01. The stock has a market cap of $23.25 billion, a PE ratio of 27.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.62.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.01. Eversource Energy had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 11.04%. Equities research analysts predict that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.7525 per share. This represents a $3.01 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.75%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 4th. This is a boost from Eversource Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Eversource Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 130.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ES has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Eversource Energy from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “sector underperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Eversource Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $67.45.

About Eversource Energy

Eversource Energy, a public utility holding company, engages in the energy delivery business. The company operates through Electric Distribution, Electric Transmission, Natural Gas Distribution, and Water Distribution segments. It is involved in the transmission and distribution of electricity; solar power facilities; and distribution of natural gas.