Vontobel Holding Ltd. Buys 17,040 Shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) by 19.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 103,239 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,040 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Eversource Energy were worth $5,929,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Eversource Energy in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Eversource Energy in the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Eversource Energy by 162.0% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 566 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Eversource Energy in the third quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Eversource Energy by 38.4% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 710 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. 79.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Eversource Energy Stock Down 1.5 %

NYSE ES opened at $61.57 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $57.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.66. The company has a market capitalization of $22.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -39.22, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.62. Eversource Energy has a 1-year low of $54.75 and a 1-year high of $69.01.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.01. Eversource Energy had a positive return on equity of 10.90% and a negative net margin of 4.73%. Equities analysts forecast that Eversource Energy will post 4.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be paid a $0.7525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $3.01 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.89%. This is a boost from Eversource Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Eversource Energy’s payout ratio is -182.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ES has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Eversource Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday. Scotiabank decreased their target price on Eversource Energy from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “sector underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Barclays decreased their target price on Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Eversource Energy in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $67.45.

Eversource Energy Profile

Eversource Energy, a public utility holding company, engages in the energy delivery business. The company operates through Electric Distribution, Electric Transmission, Natural Gas Distribution, and Water Distribution segments. It is involved in the transmission and distribution of electricity; solar power facilities; and distribution of natural gas.