Enerplus (NYSE:ERF) Receives New Coverage from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Enerplus (NYSE:ERF) (TSE:ERF) in a research note released on Monday morning. The firm issued a hold rating on the oil and natural gas company’s stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. National Bankshares dropped their price target on shares of Enerplus from $25.00 to $21.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. TD Securities restated a tender rating and set a $18.85 price target (down from $21.00) on shares of Enerplus in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. Finally, CIBC dropped their price target on shares of Enerplus from $23.00 to $19.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $21.69.

Enerplus Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:ERF opened at $20.33 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $18.71 and a 200-day moving average of $16.72. The company has a market cap of $4.15 billion, a PE ratio of 9.67 and a beta of 1.99. Enerplus has a one year low of $13.46 and a one year high of $20.97.

Enerplus (NYSE:ERF) (TSE:ERF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $437.10 million for the quarter. Enerplus had a net margin of 27.67% and a return on equity of 40.36%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Enerplus will post 2.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Enerplus Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This is a positive change from Enerplus’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. Enerplus’s dividend payout ratio is 12.38%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Enerplus

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Enerplus in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Enerplus in the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Enerplus in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Enerplus by 356.5% in the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,958 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 2,310 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in shares of Enerplus in the 3rd quarter valued at $52,000. Institutional investors own 58.42% of the company’s stock.

About Enerplus

Enerplus Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, explores and develops crude oil and natural gas in the United States. Its oil and natural gas properties are located primarily in North Dakota, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.