Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Monday morning.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on ES. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Eversource Energy in a report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. 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 research note on Thursday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Eversource Energy presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.78.

Eversource Energy Price Performance

Shares of ES opened at $58.15 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $60.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.17, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.58. Eversource Energy has a twelve month low of $52.28 and a twelve month high of $69.01.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) last posted its 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 return on equity of 10.99% and a net margin of 6.82%. Equities analysts forecast that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.7525 per share. This is an increase from Eversource Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $3.01 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.18%. Eversource Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 130.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Eversource Energy 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 transaction of $192,507.92. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 22,671 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,411,496.46. This trade represents a 12.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Jay S. Buth sold 980 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.99, for a total transaction of $61,730.20. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 24,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,535,318.26. This represents a 3.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eversource Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MML Investors Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy by 39.5% during the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 21,435 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,459,000 after purchasing an additional 6,069 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Eversource Energy by 15.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,095,966 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $74,582,000 after acquiring an additional 150,535 shares in the last quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Eversource Energy by 244.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. now owns 21,715 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,478,000 after acquiring an additional 15,419 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy by 32.2% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 21,358 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,354,000 after acquiring an additional 5,203 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Eversource Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $277,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.99% 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.