Nicolet Advisory Services LLC Purchases New Stake in Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR)

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,693 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $225,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ETR. Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in Entergy by 13.9% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 215,070 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,305,000 after acquiring an additional 26,167 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its position in shares of Entergy by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 23,645 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,112,000 after purchasing an additional 1,105 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Entergy by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,340,352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $176,404,000 after purchasing an additional 13,348 shares in the last quarter. Blackhawk Capital Partners LLC. bought a new position in shares of Entergy in the third quarter worth $251,000. Finally, Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Entergy in the third quarter worth $32,541,000. Institutional investors own 88.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on ETR. Argus raised Entergy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Entergy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 9th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Entergy from $166.00 to $159.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 18th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Entergy from $137.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Entergy from $143.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Entergy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $150.42.

Entergy Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE:ETR opened at $151.06 on Monday. Entergy Corporation has a 12 month low of $96.15 and a 12 month high of $156.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $137.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $121.65. The stock has a market cap of $32.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.71.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Entergy had a return on equity of 9.53% and a net margin of 14.83%. The business had revenue of $3.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.27 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Entergy Corporation will post 7.21 EPS for the current year.

Entergy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This is a boost from Entergy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. Entergy’s payout ratio is 58.47%.

Insider Transactions at Entergy

In other news, insider Haley Fisackerly sold 4,134 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.03, for a total value of $616,090.02. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 2,016 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $300,444.48. This represents a 67.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 19,200 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.35, for a total value of $2,310,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 150,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,140,475.85. This represents a 11.30 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 40,472 shares of company stock valued at $5,076,328 in the last three months. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.