Entergy (NYSE:ETR) Shares Pass Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR)’s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $65.38 and traded as high as $76.64. Entergy shares last traded at $75.21, with a volume of 2,733,074 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Entergy from $72.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Bank of America downgraded shares of Entergy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $77.00 in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Entergy from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $58.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Scotiabank increased their price target on Entergy from $72.00 to $82.50 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Entergy from $68.50 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Entergy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $77.40.

Entergy Stock Down 1.9 %

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $74.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. The stock has a market cap of $32.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.71.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.04. Entergy had a net margin of 14.83% and a return on equity of 9.53%. The business had revenue of $3.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.64 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Entergy Corporation will post 3.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Entergy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.19%. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Entergy

In related news, insider Haley Fisackerly sold 8,268 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.52, for a total transaction of $616,090.02. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,032 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $300,444.48. This represents a 67.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Eliecer Viamontes sold 400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.50, for a total value of $29,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,346 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $613,431. This trade represents a 4.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 14,756 shares of company stock valued at $1,095,637. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Entergy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Entergy by 2.1% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,427 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $451,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Entergy by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC now owns 8,836 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,163,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Entergy by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 8,087 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,065,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co lifted its position in Entergy by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 795 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prossimo Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Entergy by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Prossimo Advisors LLC now owns 5,971 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $786,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. 88.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.