Entergy (NYSE:ETR) Sets New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $136.02 and last traded at $135.44, with a volume of 63151 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $135.28.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ETR shares. Argus raised Entergy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Entergy from $143.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Entergy from $135.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Entergy from $137.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Entergy from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Entergy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.19.

Entergy Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.54, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $126.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $115.32.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.16. Entergy had a return on equity of 10.10% and a net margin of 14.75%. The business had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.98 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.84 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Entergy Co. will post 7.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 13th were given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 13th. Entergy’s payout ratio is currently 45.34%.

Insider Transactions at Entergy

In related news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.03, for a total transaction of $72,018.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 150,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,092,241.93. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Entergy news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.03, for a total value of $72,018.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 150,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,092,241.93. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 3,200 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $388,672.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 150,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,307,787.26. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,810 shares of company stock valued at $6,140,626 over the last ninety days. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Entergy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Entergy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in Entergy by 2,172.7% during the 1st 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 period. Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new stake in shares of Entergy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. American National Bank grew its stake in shares of Entergy by 93.7% in the second quarter. American National Bank now owns 277 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Entergy during the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. 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.