Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Buys 287,400 Shares of Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR)

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its position in shares of Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) by 188.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 439,733 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 287,400 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned approximately 0.21% of Entergy worth $47,051,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ETR. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System raised its stake in shares of Entergy by 6.3% in the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 234,595 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,275,000 after purchasing an additional 13,882 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC raised its stake in shares of Entergy by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 55,261 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,592,000 after buying an additional 5,509 shares in the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment bought a new position in shares of Entergy during the 4th quarter worth about $15,783,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Entergy by 55.4% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 14,877 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,571,000 after acquiring an additional 5,303 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Viking Fund Management LLC raised its position in Entergy by 6.3% in the first quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 125,600 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $13,273,000 after purchasing an additional 7,400 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.07% of the company’s stock.

Entergy Stock Up 1.2 %

NYSE:ETR opened at $129.25 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $118.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $110.87. The company has a market cap of $27.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.73. Entergy Co. has a 52-week low of $87.10 and a 52-week high of $129.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.16. The firm 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 earned $1.84 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Entergy Co. will post 7.22 EPS for the current year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 13th. Entergy’s payout ratio is 45.34%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ETR shares. Barclays upgraded Entergy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $115.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. Guggenheim upped their price target on Entergy from $118.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Entergy from $143.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Entergy from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $109.50 price target (down from $117.00) on shares of Entergy in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.35.

Insider Transactions at Entergy

In other news, COO Peter S. Norgeot, Jr. sold 3,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.56, for a total transaction of $398,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,993 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,288,742.08. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Entergy news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 150,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,307,787.26. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Peter S. Norgeot, Jr. sold 3,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.56, for a total value of $398,320.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,993 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,288,742.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 42,888 shares of company stock worth $5,110,766 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Entergy Profile

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.