Short Interest in Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) Rises By 32.6%

Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,590,000 shares, an increase of 32.6% from the December 31st total of 4,970,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,410,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on ETR shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Entergy from $68.50 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Entergy from $83.00 to $79.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Entergy from $68.50 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. KeyCorp lowered shares of Entergy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Scotiabank cut their target price on shares of Entergy from $165.00 to $82.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Entergy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $79.81.

Entergy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ETR traded up $1.96 during trading on Thursday, reaching $81.20. 3,595,335 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,946,944. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Entergy has a 12 month low of $48.08 and a 12 month high of $84.26. The company has a 50 day moving average of $77.01 and a 200-day moving average of $68.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.71.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.04. Entergy had a net margin of 14.83% and a return on equity of 9.53%. The business had revenue of $3.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.64 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Entergy will post 3.59 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Deanna D. Rodriguez sold 6,088 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.94, for a total transaction of $450,146.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $292,210.88. This represents a 60.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Haley Fisackerly sold 8,268 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.52, for a total transaction of $616,090.02. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,032 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $300,444.48. This trade represents a 67.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 14,756 shares of company stock valued at $1,095,637. Company insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Entergy

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Entergy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in Entergy by 423.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 220 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Trust Company N.A bought a new position in Entergy in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Coastline Trust Co bought a new position in Entergy in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Entergy in the 3rd quarter worth about $42,000. Institutional investors own 88.07% of the company’s stock.

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.