Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) Stake Raised by Ethos Financial Group LLC

Ethos Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) by 100.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,545 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,776 shares during the period. Ethos Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Entergy were worth $269,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Entergy by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,408,776 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,501,509,000 after purchasing an additional 128,667 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Entergy by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,613,647 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $870,422,000 after purchasing an additional 315,750 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Entergy by 53.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,718,859 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $754,318,000 after purchasing an additional 1,981,611 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Entergy by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,965,257 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $651,206,000 after purchasing an additional 37,279 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Entergy by 60.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,589,727 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $472,444,000 after purchasing an additional 1,354,355 shares in the last quarter. 88.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Entergy Stock Performance

ETR opened at $81.05 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.68. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $81.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. Entergy Corporation has a 12-month low of $50.19 and a 12-month high of $88.38.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.03. Entergy had a return on equity of 10.68% and a net margin of 8.90%. The company had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.26 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Entergy Corporation will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Entergy’s payout ratio is presently 98.77%.

Insider Transactions at Entergy

In related news, insider Deanna D. Rodriguez sold 6,088 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.94, for a total transaction of $450,146.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,952 shares in the company, valued at $292,210.88. This trade represents a 60.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.39% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ETR. Scotiabank cut their price target on Entergy from $165.00 to $82.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Entergy from $79.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Entergy from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Entergy from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Entergy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.50 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Entergy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $82.14.

Entergy 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.