Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) Shares Sold by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System trimmed its stake in shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 400 shares during the quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Eversource Energy were worth $1,131,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Eversource Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Eversource Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy by 162.0% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 566 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Eversource Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy by 38.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 710 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. 79.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com downgraded Eversource Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Scotiabank reduced their target price on Eversource Energy from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “sector underperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays reduced their target price on Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Eversource Energy in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Eversource Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $67.45.

Eversource Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ES stock opened at $61.57 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $22.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -39.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.62. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $57.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $62.62. Eversource Energy has a 12-month low of $54.75 and a 12-month high of $69.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.01. Eversource Energy had a positive return on equity of 10.90% and a negative net margin of 4.73%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Eversource Energy will post 4.56 EPS for the current year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be issued a $0.7525 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $3.01 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.89%. This is a boost from Eversource Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Eversource Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently -182.17%.

Eversource Energy Company Profile

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.