Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $128.58.

Several equities analysts recently commented on ETR shares. Argus raised Entergy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Entergy from $118.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Entergy from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Entergy from $131.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH restated a “neutral” rating and set a $109.50 price objective (down previously from $117.00) on shares of Entergy in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Entergy news, COO Peter S. Norgeot, Jr. sold 7,922 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total transaction of $1,029,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,549,090. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, COO Peter S. Norgeot, Jr. sold 11,472 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.16, for a total transaction of $1,321,115.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 37,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,363,182.08. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Peter S. Norgeot, Jr. sold 7,922 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total transaction of $1,029,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 34,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,549,090. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 50,810 shares of company stock valued at $6,140,626 over the last quarter. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Entergy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in Entergy by 47.1% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,479,044 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $693,260,000 after acquiring an additional 2,075,776 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in shares of Entergy by 64.2% in the 1st quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,170,045 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $440,690,000 after purchasing an additional 1,630,057 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Entergy by 185.5% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,876,672 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $200,804,000 after purchasing an additional 1,219,419 shares during the period. Confluence Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Entergy during the first quarter worth about $92,257,000. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC grew its position in Entergy by 12.4% during the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 6,926,492 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $741,135,000 after buying an additional 763,834 shares during the period. 88.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Entergy Price Performance

ETR stock opened at $132.50 on Tuesday. Entergy has a 1 year low of $89.57 and a 1 year high of $133.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The business’s 50-day moving average is $122.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.86.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.16. Entergy had a net margin of 14.75% and a return on equity of 10.10%. The firm had revenue of $2.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.98 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.84 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Entergy will post 7.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th were paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.41%. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.34%.

Entergy Company 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.