Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Boosts Holdings in Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR)

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. grew its position in shares of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) by 117.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,563,177 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 843,752 shares during the quarter. Entergy makes up approximately 1.4% of Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Entergy were worth $118,520,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fortis Group Advisors LLC increased its stake in Entergy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. NBT Bank N A NY raised its stake in Entergy by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 340 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Entergy during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Entergy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 358 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank grew its position in Entergy by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 358 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. 88.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Entergy Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of ETR stock opened at $83.96 on Friday. Entergy Corporation has a twelve month low of $50.19 and a twelve month high of $88.38. The stock has a market cap of $36.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.48, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.68. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $83.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.24 billion. Entergy had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 10.68%. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.26 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Entergy Corporation will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Entergy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Entergy’s payout ratio is currently 98.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on ETR shares. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Entergy from $86.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Entergy from $87.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Entergy from $165.00 to $82.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Entergy from $79.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, KeyCorp downgraded Entergy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.75.

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.