Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $113.73.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ETR. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Entergy from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 31st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Entergy from $103.00 to $98.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Entergy from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 6th. Barclays lifted their target price on Entergy from $107.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 5th. Finally, Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of Entergy from $111.00 to $104.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 22nd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Entergy news, insider Haley Fisackerly sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.23, for a total transaction of $165,345.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,479 shares in the company, valued at $273,260.17. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Entergy news, CAO Reginald T. Jackson sold 9,229 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.71, for a total transaction of $1,003,284.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $235,465.86. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Haley Fisackerly sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.23, for a total transaction of $165,345.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 2,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $273,260.17. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Entergy

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Entergy by 0.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,038,725 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,408,582,000 after buying an additional 104,803 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Entergy by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,506,843 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $416,883,000 after purchasing an additional 48,047 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its position in Entergy by 64.2% in the 1st quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,170,045 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $440,690,000 after purchasing an additional 1,630,057 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Entergy by 25.2% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,961,859 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $400,901,000 after purchasing an additional 796,316 shares during the period. Finally, ClearBridge Investments Ltd raised its position in shares of Entergy by 29.3% during the fourth quarter. ClearBridge Investments Ltd now owns 3,115,468 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $315,254,000 after buying an additional 706,059 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.07% of the company’s stock.

Entergy Price Performance

NYSE ETR opened at $106.71 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.69. The business’s fifty day moving average is $108.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $104.24. Entergy has a 1 year low of $87.10 and a 1 year high of $114.28.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.36). The company had revenue of $31.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.16 billion. Entergy had a net margin of 17.75% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.14 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Entergy will post 7.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 2nd were paid a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.24%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 1st. Entergy’s payout ratio is presently 45.34%.

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.