Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $79.81.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Entergy from $68.50 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Entergy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.50 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America lowered shares of Entergy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $69.00 to $77.00 in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Entergy from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $58.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Entergy from $68.50 to $76.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Entergy news, insider Haley Fisackerly sold 8,268 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now owns 4,032 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $300,444.48. This represents a 67.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Deanna D. Rodriguez sold 6,088 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.94, for a total value of $450,146.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,952 shares in the company, valued at $292,210.88. This trade represents a 60.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Entergy

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fortis Group Advisors LLC increased its position in Entergy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. NBT Bank N A NY raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Entergy in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. grew its position in Entergy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 358 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Riverview Trust Co increased its stake in Entergy by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 364 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.07% of the company’s stock.

Entergy Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of Entergy stock opened at $82.37 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $77.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $69.74. Entergy has a 52-week low of $48.08 and a 52-week 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 stock has a market capitalization of $35.32 billion, a PE ratio of 20.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.72.

Entergy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors 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 2.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.47%.

About Entergy

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.