Ascent Group LLC Has $2.18 Million Stock Holdings in Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR)

Ascent Group LLC decreased its position in shares of Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) by 12.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,414 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,948 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Entergy were worth $2,184,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Entergy by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 27,145 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,747,000 after purchasing an additional 1,124 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Entergy by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 123,405 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $12,487,000 after buying an additional 10,297 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of Entergy by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 150,378 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $15,218,000 after buying an additional 6,155 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in Entergy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $204,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in Entergy by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 141,587 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $14,327,000 after acquiring an additional 3,925 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.07% of the company’s stock.

Entergy Stock Performance

NYSE ETR opened at $131.13 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $120.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $111.88. The stock has a market cap of $28.00 billion, a PE ratio of 13.15, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.94. Entergy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $87.10 and a fifty-two week high of $131.55.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $2.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.98 billion. Entergy had a return on equity of 10.10% and a net margin of 14.75%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.84 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Entergy Co. will post 7.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 13th were issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.45%. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $109.50 target price (down from $117.00) on shares of Entergy in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. Barclays raised shares of Entergy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $115.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Entergy from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Argus raised shares of Entergy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Entergy from $118.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.81.

Insider Activity at Entergy

In other Entergy news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $388,672.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 150,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,307,787.26. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 3,200 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $388,672.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 150,731 shares in the company, valued at $18,307,787.26. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Peter S. Norgeot, Jr. sold 7,922 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $1,029,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 34,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,549,090. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,810 shares of company stock worth $6,140,626 in the last quarter. 0.39% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Entergy Company 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.