Stephens Inc. AR Increases Holdings in Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR)

Stephens Inc. AR raised its stake in Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,711 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 224 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Entergy were worth $1,146,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Entergy in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors lifted its holdings in Entergy by 2,172.7% in the first quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors now owns 250 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new position in Entergy in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in Entergy by 423.8% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 220 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American National Bank raised its position in Entergy by 93.7% in the second quarter. American National Bank now owns 277 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. 88.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Entergy Stock Performance

Shares of ETR opened at $142.43 on Tuesday. Entergy Co. has a 1 year low of $94.85 and a 1 year high of $156.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.46 billion, a PE ratio of 17.35, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.89. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $130.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $117.60.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $2.99 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.08. Entergy had a net margin of 14.83% and a return on equity of 9.53%. The company had revenue of $3.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.27 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Entergy Co. will post 7.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.37%. This is an increase from Entergy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. Entergy’s payout ratio is 55.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ETR has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Entergy from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Entergy from $137.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Entergy from $143.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Entergy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price target on Entergy from $143.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.81.

Insider Activity

In other Entergy news, insider Eliecer Viamontes sold 5,166 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $619,920.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,117 shares in the company, valued at $614,040. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Entergy news, COO Peter S. Norgeot, Jr. sold 7,922 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $1,029,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 34,993 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,549,090. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Eliecer Viamontes sold 5,166 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $619,920.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 5,117 shares in the company, valued at approximately $614,040. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 47,610 shares of company stock worth $5,751,954. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.