Analysts Set Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) Target Price at $150.42

Shares of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the fourteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $150.42.

Several research firms recently weighed in on ETR. Bank of America lowered Entergy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $138.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Entergy from $137.00 to $152.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com raised shares of Entergy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. Argus raised shares of Entergy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on Entergy from $119.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st.

Entergy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ETR opened at $151.06 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $137.74 and a 200-day moving average of $121.65. Entergy has a 12 month low of $96.15 and a 12 month high of $156.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.39 billion, a PE ratio of 18.40, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.71.

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

Entergy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.18%. This is an increase from Entergy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.47%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were 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 owns 150,731 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,092,241.93. This trade represents a 0.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Haley Fisackerly sold 4,134 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.03, for a total value of $616,090.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 2,016 shares in the company, valued at approximately $300,444.48. The trade was a 67.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 40,472 shares of company stock valued at $5,076,328 in the last 90 days. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Entergy

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ETR. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Entergy by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,427 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $451,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Acropolis Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Entergy by 0.8% during the third quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC now owns 8,836 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,163,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its position in Entergy by 0.9% during the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 8,087 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,065,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Bank & Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Entergy by 12.8% in the third quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 795 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prossimo Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Entergy by 1.5% in the third quarter. Prossimo Advisors LLC now owns 5,971 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $786,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. 88.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.