Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) Stock Position Increased by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in shares of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) by 69.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 488,173 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 199,341 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P.’s holdings in Entergy were worth $37,013,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fortis Group Advisors LLC lifted 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 valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. NBT Bank N A NY lifted its stake in Entergy by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 340 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Entergy during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. grew its position in Entergy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 358 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank increased its holdings in shares of Entergy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 358 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. 88.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Entergy Trading Down 7.1 %

Shares of NYSE:ETR opened at $79.02 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.72. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $83.52 and its 200-day moving average is $76.60. The company has a market cap of $34.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.56. Entergy Corporation has a 52-week low of $50.19 and a 52-week high of $88.38.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.03. Entergy had a return on equity of 10.68% and a net margin of 8.90%. The firm had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.26 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Entergy Corporation will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Entergy’s payout ratio is currently 98.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on Entergy from $165.00 to $82.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Entergy from $79.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Entergy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.50 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Entergy from $86.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Entergy from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.75.

Entergy 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.