Barclays PLC Raises Position in Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES)

Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,140,842 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 44,876 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned about 0.31% of Eversource Energy worth $65,515,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Advisors Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy by 76.8% in the fourth quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 11,017 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $633,000 after buying an additional 4,785 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Eversource Energy by 58.6% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 21,306 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,224,000 after acquiring an additional 7,875 shares during the period. Heritage Trust Co purchased a new position in Eversource Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,520,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in Eversource Energy by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 157,389 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,039,000 after acquiring an additional 3,900 shares during the period. Finally, LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in Eversource Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,223,000. 79.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eversource Energy Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE ES opened at $58.15 on Thursday. Eversource Energy has a one year low of $52.28 and a one year high of $69.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $60.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.70. The company has a market cap of $21.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.58.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.01. Eversource Energy had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 10.99%. Research analysts anticipate that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.7525 per share. This is a boost from Eversource Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.01 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 4th. Eversource Energy’s payout ratio is currently 130.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ES shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “sector underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays reduced their price target on Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $58.00 price objective (down from $69.00) on shares of Eversource Energy in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Eversource Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Eversource Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.78.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Frederica M. Williams sold 3,092 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.26, for a total value of $192,507.92. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 22,671 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,411,496.46. This represents a 12.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Jay S. Buth sold 980 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.99, for a total transaction of $61,730.20. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 24,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,535,318.26. This represents a 3.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

About Eversource Energy

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.