Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on ES. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Eversource Energy in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Scotiabank reduced their price target 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. Barclays decreased their price target on Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Eversource Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $67.40.

Eversource Energy Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE ES opened at $62.19 on Friday. Eversource Energy has a 1-year low of $54.75 and a 1-year high of $69.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The business’s 50 day moving average is $60.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $61.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.92, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.60.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 EPS for the current year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were paid a dividend of $0.7525 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $3.01 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.84%. This is a positive change from Eversource Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Eversource Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 130.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eversource Energy

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Eversource Energy by 33.0% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 40,231 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,306,000 after purchasing an additional 9,981 shares during the period. Verity & Verity LLC acquired a new stake in Eversource Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $744,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased 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 buying an additional 510,582 shares in the last quarter. Everett Harris & Co. CA raised its position in shares of Eversource Energy by 125.2% in the fourth quarter. Everett Harris & Co. CA now owns 8,093 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $465,000 after acquiring an additional 4,500 shares during the period. Finally, Soltis Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Eversource Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,616,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.99% 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.