Entergy (NYSE:ETR) Rating Lowered to “Sell” at StockNews.com

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Saturday.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on ETR. Scotiabank upped their price target on Entergy from $72.00 to $82.50 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Entergy from $68.50 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Entergy from $83.00 to $79.50 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 18th. KeyCorp lowered Entergy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Entergy from $68.50 to $76.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Entergy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $77.40.

Entergy Stock Performance

Shares of ETR stock opened at $75.13 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $32.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.71. Entergy has a 52 week low of $48.08 and a 52 week high of $79.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.89. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $73.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.60.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $3.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.46 billion. Entergy had a net margin of 14.83% and a return on equity of 9.53%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.64 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Entergy will post 3.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Entergy

In other Entergy news, insider Eliecer Viamontes sold 400 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.50, for a total value of $29,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 8,346 shares in the company, valued at $613,431. The trade was a 4.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Haley Fisackerly sold 8,268 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.52, for a total transaction of $616,090.02. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,032 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $300,444.48. This represents a 67.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,756 shares of company stock worth $1,095,637. Company insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Entergy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Entergy in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Entergy by 423.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 220 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Trust Company N.A bought a new stake in shares of Entergy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Coastline Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Entergy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Entergy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. 88.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.