Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) Shares Sold by Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 545,772 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 54,239 shares during the quarter. Entergy accounts for about 1.5% of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Entergy were worth $71,829,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ETR. Bank & Trust Co boosted its holdings in Entergy by 12.8% in the third quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 795 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Entergy by 2.3% during the second quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 4,075 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $436,000 after buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Entergy by 3.7% in the third quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,591 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $341,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC raised its holdings in Entergy by 21.7% in the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 550 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Delta Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Entergy by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Delta Financial Advisors LLC now owns 22,121 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,367,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. 88.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Entergy Stock Performance

Entergy stock traded up $0.65 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $135.28. 1,017,080 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,560,038. Entergy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $90.78 and a fifty-two week high of $135.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. The firm has a market cap of $28.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.57, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $125.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $114.75.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.16. Entergy had a return on equity of 10.10% and a net margin of 14.75%. The business had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.98 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.84 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Entergy Co. will post 7.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Entergy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 13th. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ETR. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Entergy from $138.00 to $137.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Entergy from $131.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Entergy from $137.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Argus raised Entergy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Entergy from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $130.96.

Insider Activity at Entergy

In other Entergy news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.03, for a total transaction of $72,018.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 150,731 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,092,241.93. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 19,200 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.35, for a total value of $2,310,720.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 150,731 shares in the company, valued at $18,140,475.85. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.03, for a total value of $72,018.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 150,731 shares in the company, valued at $18,092,241.93. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 50,810 shares of company stock worth $6,140,626 over the last ninety days. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.