Entergy (NYSE:ETR) Price Target Raised to $144.00

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) had its price target increased by UBS Group from $143.00 to $144.00 in a research report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Entergy from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Entergy from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Argus upgraded shares of Entergy to a strong-buy rating in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Entergy from $115.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Entergy from $100.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Entergy has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $127.35.

Entergy Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:ETR opened at $130.04 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $27.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.73. Entergy has a 12-month low of $87.10 and a 12-month high of $130.16. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $118.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $111.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.98 billion. Entergy had a return on equity of 10.10% and a net margin of 14.75%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.84 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Entergy will post 7.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Entergy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th were given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.48%. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.34%.

Insider Activity

In other Entergy news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 3,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total value of $388,672.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 150,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,307,787.26. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Entergy news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total value of $388,672.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 150,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,307,787.26. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Peter S. Norgeot, Jr. sold 3,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.56, for a total value of $398,320.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 34,993 shares in the company, valued at $4,288,742.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 42,888 shares of company stock valued at $5,110,766 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Entergy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ETR. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Entergy in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Tidemark LLC bought a new stake in Entergy during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors grew its holdings in Entergy by 2,172.7% in the first quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors now owns 250 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the period. American National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Entergy by 93.7% during the second quarter. American National Bank now owns 277 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Entergy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.07% of the company’s stock.

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.