Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Buys 174,960 Shares of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) by 179.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 272,594 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 174,960 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Entergy were worth $20,668,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ETR. Fortis Group Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Entergy by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Entergy in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in Entergy by 423.8% in the third 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. IFS Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Entergy in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Ulland Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Entergy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Ulland Investment Advisors LLC now owns 400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 88.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Entergy Price Performance

Shares of ETR stock opened at $85.21 on Tuesday. Entergy Corporation has a twelve month low of $49.80 and a twelve month high of $88.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.72. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $79.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $71.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.03. Entergy had a return on equity of 10.68% and a net margin of 8.90%. The business had revenue of $2.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.26 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Entergy Corporation will post 3.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 98.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on ETR shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Entergy from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Bank of America cut Entergy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $77.00 in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Entergy from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com raised Entergy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised Entergy from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $58.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given 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 $82.14.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Deanna D. Rodriguez sold 6,088 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.94, for a total transaction of $450,146.72. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $292,210.88. This represents a 60.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Entergy

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.