Entergy (NYSE:ETR) Upgraded at LADENBURG THALM/SH SH

LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Entergy (NYSE:ETR) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning, MarketBeat reports. They currently have $86.50 target price on the utilities provider’s stock.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Entergy from $165.00 to $82.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Entergy from $68.50 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Mizuho boosted their price target on Entergy from $69.00 to $82.50 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Entergy from $83.00 to $79.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Entergy from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $58.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.81.

Entergy Stock Down 0.0 %

NYSE ETR opened at $81.17 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $77.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.70. Entergy has a one year low of $48.08 and a one year high of $84.26. 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 has a market capitalization of $34.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.71.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.04. Entergy had a net margin of 14.83% and a return on equity of 9.53%. The firm had revenue of $3.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.64 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Entergy will post 3.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.96%. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.47%.

Insider Activity at Entergy

In other news, insider Haley Fisackerly sold 8,268 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.52, for a total value of $616,090.02. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,032 shares in the company, valued at approximately $300,444.48. This trade represents a 67.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Deanna D. Rodriguez sold 6,088 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.94, for a total transaction of $450,146.72. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $292,210.88. The trade was a 60.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,756 shares of company stock valued at $1,095,637 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Entergy by 2.1% in the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,427 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $451,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Acropolis Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Entergy by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC now owns 8,836 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,163,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its stake in Entergy by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 8,087 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,065,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Bank & Trust Co grew its position in Entergy by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 795 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prossimo Advisors LLC raised its stake in Entergy by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Prossimo Advisors LLC now owns 5,971 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $786,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 88.07% of the company’s stock.

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.