Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) Holdings Reduced by O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,959 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,854 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Eversource Energy were worth $2,008,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Eversource Energy by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,609,716 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,561,936,000 after acquiring an additional 1,387,072 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy by 1.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,539,895 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,737,990,000 after purchasing an additional 430,587 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in shares of Eversource Energy during the third quarter valued at about $808,783,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Eversource Energy by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,933,838 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $570,500,000 after purchasing an additional 226,972 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Eversource Energy by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,040,171 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $613,233,000 after buying an additional 268,588 shares in the last quarter. 79.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eversource Energy Stock Performance

Eversource Energy stock opened at $58.48 on Friday. Eversource Energy has a 1 year low of $54.75 and a 1 year high of $69.01. The company’s 50-day moving average is $60.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $61.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The company has a market cap of $21.47 billion, a PE ratio of 25.31, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.58.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.01. Eversource Energy had a return on equity of 10.99% and a net margin of 6.82%. Equities analysts anticipate that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were issued a $0.7525 dividend. This is an increase from Eversource Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.01 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.15%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. Eversource Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 130.30%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Frederica M. Williams sold 3,092 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.26, for a total transaction of $192,507.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,671 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,411,496.46. This represents a 12.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Jay S. Buth sold 980 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.99, for a total transaction of $61,730.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 24,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,535,318.26. This represents a 3.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ES has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Eversource Energy in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Barclays decreased their price target on Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Eversource Energy from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised Eversource Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $67.44.

Eversource Energy 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.