Entergy (NYSE:ETR) Sees Large Volume Increase

Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Wednesday . Approximately 584,917 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 62% from the previous session’s volume of 1,527,630 shares.The stock last traded at $106.53 and had previously closed at $105.89.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on ETR shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Entergy from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. Scotiabank reduced their target price on Entergy from $111.00 to $104.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 22nd. KeyCorp increased their target price on Entergy from $112.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 20th. Mizuho increased their target price on Entergy from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 31st. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH restated a “neutral” rating and set a $109.50 price objective (down from $117.00) on shares of Entergy in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Entergy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $113.73.

Entergy Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $22.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $108.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $104.36. 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 (NYSE:ETR) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $31.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.16 billion. Entergy had a net margin of 17.75% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The company’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.14 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Entergy Co. will post 7.22 EPS for the current year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 2nd were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 1st. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.28%. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.34%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Reginald T. Jackson sold 9,229 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The stock was 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 owns 2,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $235,465.86. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Haley Fisackerly sold 1,500 shares of the business’s 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 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. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Entergy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of Entergy by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 14,747 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,492,000 after purchasing an additional 1,989 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Entergy by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 595,644 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $60,273,000 after purchasing an additional 9,696 shares during the period. Financial Counselors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Entergy by 28.9% during the 4th quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 159,395 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $16,129,000 after purchasing an additional 35,718 shares during the period. Brendel Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Entergy during the 4th quarter valued at $1,782,000. Finally, Cetera Advisor Networks LLC increased its stake in Entergy by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 55,261 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,592,000 after acquiring an additional 5,509 shares during the last quarter. 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.