Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $84.75.

ETR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Entergy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Entergy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.50 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. KeyCorp downgraded shares of Entergy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Entergy from $86.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Entergy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, December 29th.

Entergy Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE:ETR opened at $84.38 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Entergy has a 1-year low of $50.19 and a 1-year high of $88.38. The company has a 50-day moving average of $83.34 and a 200 day moving average of $75.86. The firm has a market cap of $36.35 billion, a PE ratio of 34.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.68.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.24 billion. Entergy had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 10.68%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.26 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Entergy will post 3.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.77%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Entergy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Entergy in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. NBT Bank N A NY grew its position in Entergy by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 340 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. Fortis Group Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Entergy by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Entergy by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 358 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the period. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank boosted its stake in shares of Entergy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 358 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.07% of the company’s stock.

Entergy Company Profile

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.