Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) Shares Acquired by ClearBridge Investments Ltd

ClearBridge Investments Ltd boosted its stake in Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,137,110 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,025 shares during the period. Entergy accounts for about 9.8% of ClearBridge Investments Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its biggest position. ClearBridge Investments Ltd’s holdings in Entergy were worth $335,671,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Entergy by 2.3% in the second quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 4,075 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $436,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC increased its position in Entergy by 21.7% during the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 550 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Delta Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Entergy by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Delta Financial Advisors LLC now owns 22,121 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,367,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Entergy by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,830 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $933,000 after buying an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Entergy by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 20,540 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,198,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. 88.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Entergy

In other news, insider Eliecer Viamontes sold 5,166 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $619,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 5,117 shares in the company, valued at $614,040. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Eliecer Viamontes sold 5,166 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $619,920.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,117 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $614,040. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Peter S. Norgeot, Jr. sold 11,472 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.16, for a total transaction of $1,321,115.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 37,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,363,182.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 42,888 shares of company stock valued at $5,110,766 over the last three months. 0.39% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays upgraded Entergy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $115.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. Argus raised shares of Entergy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Entergy from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Entergy from $118.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Entergy from $131.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.35.

Entergy Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of ETR opened at $129.25 on Monday. Entergy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $87.10 and a fifty-two week high of $129.70. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $118.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $110.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company has a market capitalization of $27.60 billion, a PE ratio of 12.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.73.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.16. Entergy had a return on equity of 10.10% and a net margin of 14.75%. The firm had revenue of $2.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.98 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.84 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Entergy Co. will post 7.22 EPS for the current year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 13th were issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.50%. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.34%.

About Entergy

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.