Entergy (NYSE:ETR) Given New $86.00 Price Target at Evercore ISI

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) had its price target increased by Evercore ISI from $75.00 to $86.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an in-line rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp downgraded Entergy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com raised Entergy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Entergy from $83.00 to $79.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 18th. Mizuho increased their target price on Entergy from $69.00 to $82.50 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Entergy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.50 target price 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $82.14.

Entergy Trading Down 1.1 %

Entergy stock opened at $84.94 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $79.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $71.30. Entergy has a 12 month low of $49.80 and a 12 month high of $88.38. The company has a market capitalization of $36.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.72.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.24 billion. Entergy had a return on equity of 10.68% and a net margin of 8.90%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.26 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Entergy will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Deanna D. Rodriguez sold 6,088 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now owns 3,952 shares in the company, valued at approximately $292,210.88. This trade represents a 60.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Entergy

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Entergy during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Coastline Trust Co purchased a new position in Entergy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Entergy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, NBT Bank N A NY grew its holdings in Entergy by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 340 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.