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

Shares of Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $114.12.

Several research firms have issued reports on ETR. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Entergy from $94.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $117.00 price objective on shares of Entergy in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Entergy from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Entergy from $107.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Entergy from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 31st.

Entergy Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE ETR opened at $105.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.45. Entergy has a 1 year low of $87.10 and a 1 year high of $114.28. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $108.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $104.13. The firm has a market cap of $22.59 billion, a PE ratio of 10.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.73.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.36). Entergy had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 17.75%. The firm had revenue of $31.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.14 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Entergy will post 7.23 EPS for the current year.

Entergy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 2nd were given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.27%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 1st. Entergy’s payout ratio is currently 45.34%.

Insider Activity at Entergy

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Entergy

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ETR. Tidemark LLC bought a new stake in Entergy in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors lifted its position in Entergy by 2,172.7% in the first quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors now owns 250 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Entergy in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new stake in Entergy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Entergy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 88.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.