Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) Shares Bought by River Road Asset Management LLC

River Road Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) by 20.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 63,902 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,760 shares during the quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Entergy were worth $6,466,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Entergy by 2.7% in the first quarter. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,269 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $382,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Entergy by 15.5% during the 1st quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 739 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $86,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Smith Moore & CO. raised its stake in shares of Entergy by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Smith Moore & CO. now owns 3,339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $360,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Wealth Alliance raised its stake in shares of Entergy by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 8,201 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $830,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, Marino Stram & Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of Entergy by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 5,778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $585,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. 88.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Marcus V. Brown sold 8,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.84, for a total transaction of $874,140.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,911 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,019,247.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Kimberly Cook-Nelson sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.35, for a total transaction of $200,700.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,609,312.95. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Marcus V. Brown sold 8,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.84, for a total value of $874,140.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,911 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,019,247.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,226,685. Corporate insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Entergy Stock Performance

NYSE ETR opened at $103.19 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $22.00 billion, a PE ratio of 9.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. Entergy Co. has a twelve month low of $87.10 and a twelve month high of $109.85. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $102.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $99.98.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The utilities provider reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52. The business had revenue of $2.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.27 billion. Entergy had a return on equity of 10.54% and a net margin of 19.41%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.51 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Entergy Co. will post 7.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 2nd will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 1st. Entergy’s payout ratio is 40.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Entergy from $110.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $117.00 price objective on shares of Entergy in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Entergy from $108.00 to $107.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Entergy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $109.78.

About Entergy

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.