Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Sells 2,623 Shares of Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR)

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) by 0.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 597,388 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,623 shares during the period. Entergy makes up approximately 1.5% of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. owned 0.28% of Entergy worth $78,622,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ETR. Quent Capital LLC grew its position in Entergy by 21.7% during the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 550 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Entergy by 23.2% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 11,594 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,225,000 after acquiring an additional 2,181 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of Entergy by 15.6% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 179,077 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $18,925,000 after purchasing an additional 24,105 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Entergy by 6.0% in the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 40,178 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,246,000 after purchasing an additional 2,273 shares during the period. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Entergy by 5.8% during the first quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 10,269 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,085,000 after acquiring an additional 560 shares in the last quarter. 88.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Entergy

In other news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.03, for a total value of $72,018.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 150,731 shares in the company, valued at $18,092,241.93. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.03, for a total value of $72,018.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 150,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,092,241.93. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Eliecer Viamontes sold 5,166 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $619,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 5,117 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $614,040. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 40,472 shares of company stock worth $5,076,328. Insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on ETR shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Entergy from $146.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America lowered Entergy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $138.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Entergy from $119.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Entergy from $137.00 to $152.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Entergy from $131.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Entergy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $150.96.

Entergy Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of ETR stock traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $147.62. 35,837 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,604,276. Entergy Co. has a 12 month low of $96.15 and a 12 month high of $156.85. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $133.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $119.52. The company has a market cap of $31.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $2.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $3.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.46 billion. Entergy had a return on equity of 9.53% and a net margin of 14.83%. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.27 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Entergy Co. will post 7.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. This is a boost from Entergy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.47%.

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.