Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) Shares Sold by National Pension Service

National Pension Service trimmed its position in Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 481,305 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 43,174 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.13% of Eversource Energy worth $27,641,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Eversource Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Eversource Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Eversource Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Eversource Energy by 162.0% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 566 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Eversource Energy by 104.5% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 589 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. 79.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ES has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays cut their price objective on Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com downgraded Eversource Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. Scotiabank cut their price objective on Eversource Energy from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “sector underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Eversource Energy in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Three investment 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $67.45.

Insider Transactions at Eversource Energy

In related news, VP Jay S. Buth sold 980 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.99, for a total value of $61,730.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 24,374 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,535,318.26. This represents a 3.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Frederica M. Williams sold 3,092 shares of the company’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 sale, the insider now owns 22,671 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,411,496.46. This represents a 12.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Eversource Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ES opened at $63.01 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $58.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. Eversource Energy has a 12-month low of $54.75 and a 12-month high of $69.01. The company has a market cap of $23.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.62.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 10.99%. Equities analysts expect that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be paid a $0.7525 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 4th. This is an increase from Eversource Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.01 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.78%. Eversource Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 130.30%.

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.