Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) Holdings Lifted by DnB Asset Management AS

DnB Asset Management AS grew its holdings in shares of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) by 118.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 109,936 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 59,640 shares during the period. DnB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Entergy were worth $8,335,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ETR. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in Entergy by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 2,459 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in Entergy by 5.2% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 52,880 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,960,000 after purchasing an additional 2,620 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its position in Entergy by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 37,272 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,905,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Entergy by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,075,044 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $141,487,000 after buying an additional 84,374 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vinva Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in Entergy by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 4,551 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $597,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the period. 88.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Entergy Stock Performance

Shares of ETR opened at $84.38 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $83.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $75.86. The stock has a market cap of $36.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.65, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Entergy Corporation has a one year low of $50.19 and a one year high of $88.38.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.24 billion. Entergy had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 10.68%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.26 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Entergy Corporation will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Entergy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.84%. Entergy’s payout ratio is presently 98.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ETR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Entergy from $79.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Entergy from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Entergy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.50 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised Entergy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 29th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their target price on Entergy from $165.00 to $82.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Entergy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.75.

Entergy 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.