Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) Shares Purchased by Smartleaf Asset Management LLC

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) by 20.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,137 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 361 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Eversource Energy were worth $122,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Eversource Energy by 33.0% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 40,231 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,306,000 after acquiring an additional 9,981 shares during the period. Verity & Verity LLC acquired a new stake in Eversource Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $744,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Eversource Energy by 41.7% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,735,901 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $99,554,000 after purchasing an additional 510,582 shares during the period. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. grew its holdings in Eversource Energy by 46.9% in the third quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 31,605 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,151,000 after purchasing an additional 10,093 shares during the period. Finally, Everett Harris & Co. CA grew its holdings in Eversource Energy by 125.2% in the fourth quarter. Everett Harris & Co. CA now owns 8,093 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $465,000 after purchasing an additional 4,500 shares during the period. 79.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on ES shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Eversource Energy in a report on Monday, February 10th. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on Eversource Energy from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “sector underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Eversource Energy from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $67.45.

Eversource Energy Stock Up 3.8 %

Eversource Energy stock opened at $60.97 on Friday. Eversource Energy has a twelve month low of $54.75 and a twelve month high of $69.01. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $59.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $62.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.39, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.60.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.01. Eversource Energy had a return on equity of 10.99% and a net margin of 6.82%. As a group, research analysts expect that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be issued a $0.7525 dividend. This is a boost from Eversource Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.01 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.94%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 4th. Eversource Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 130.30%.

Insider Activity

In other Eversource Energy news, insider Frederica M. Williams sold 3,092 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.26, for a total transaction of $192,507.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 22,671 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,411,496.46. This trade represents a 12.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Jay S. Buth sold 980 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.99, for a total value of $61,730.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 24,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,535,318.26. The trade was a 3.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

About Eversource Energy

Eversource Energy, a public utility holding company, engages in the energy delivery business. The company operates through Electric Distribution, Electric Transmission, Natural Gas Distribution, and Water Distribution segments. It is involved in the transmission and distribution of electricity; solar power facilities; and distribution of natural gas.