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 report issued on Friday.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on ES. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Eversource Energy from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of Eversource Energy in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of 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, Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Eversource Energy from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “sector underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $67.45.

Eversource Energy Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of Eversource Energy stock opened at $63.41 on Friday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $58.19 and a 200 day moving average of $62.50. The firm has a market cap of $23.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.45, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.62. Eversource Energy has a 1 year low of $54.75 and a 1 year high of $69.01.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.01. Eversource Energy had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 10.99%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be issued a $0.7525 dividend. This is an increase from Eversource Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $3.01 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.75%. Eversource Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 123.81%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Eversource Energy news, insider Frederica M. Williams sold 3,092 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.26, for a total transaction of $192,507.92. Following the sale, the insider now owns 22,671 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,411,496.46. This trade represents a 12.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eversource Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ES. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in Eversource Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $808,783,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Eversource Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $188,838,000. Amundi raised its stake in Eversource Energy by 32.2% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 6,482,546 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $367,691,000 after acquiring an additional 1,579,818 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Eversource Energy by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,609,716 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,561,936,000 after acquiring an additional 1,387,072 shares during the period. Finally, Magellan Asset Management Ltd raised its stake in Eversource Energy by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd now owns 6,474,477 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $371,829,000 after acquiring an additional 890,514 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.99% of the company’s stock.

Eversource Energy Company Profile

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.