Entergy (NYSE:ETR) Hits New 12-Month High at $125.98

Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $125.98 and last traded at $125.05, with a volume of 228821 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $123.55.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on ETR. Argus upgraded Entergy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. Mizuho raised their target price on Entergy from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Entergy from $131.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Entergy from $124.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Entergy from $116.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Entergy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.04.

Entergy Trading Up 2.9 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $27.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $116.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $109.92.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.98 billion. Entergy had a return on equity of 10.10% and a net margin of 14.75%. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.84 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Entergy Co. will post 7.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th were given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.56%. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.34%.

Insider Transactions at Entergy

In other news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 3,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total value of $388,672.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 150,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,307,787.26. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 3,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total value of $388,672.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 150,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,307,787.26. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Peter S. Norgeot, Jr. sold 11,472 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.16, for a total value of $1,321,115.52. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 37,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,363,182.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 42,888 shares of company stock valued at $5,110,766 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Entergy

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Entergy during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in Entergy during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors boosted its position in Entergy by 2,172.7% during the first quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors now owns 250 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. American National Bank raised its holdings in Entergy by 93.7% during the second quarter. American National Bank now owns 277 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Entergy in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.07% of the company’s stock.

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.