Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) Stake Increased by Maple Brown Abbott Ltd

Maple Brown Abbott Ltd raised its position in shares of Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) by 13.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 932,410 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 109,030 shares during the quarter. Entergy accounts for about 9.7% of Maple Brown Abbott Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Maple Brown Abbott Ltd owned 0.44% of Entergy worth $94,351,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Guidance Capital Inc. boosted its position in Entergy by 16.4% in the fourth quarter. Guidance Capital Inc. now owns 12,855 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,319,000 after purchasing an additional 1,810 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Alliance raised its holdings in Entergy by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 8,201 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $830,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Signet Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in Entergy during the fourth quarter valued at $274,000. Marino Stram & Associates LLC grew its holdings in Entergy by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 5,778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $585,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, United Asset Strategies Inc. increased its position in Entergy by 245.6% in the fourth quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 134,921 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $13,653,000 after buying an additional 95,885 shares in the last quarter. 88.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Entergy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ETR traded up $2.42 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $103.03. 1,029,205 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,352,509. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.32. Entergy Co. has a 1 year low of $87.10 and a 1 year high of $109.85. The company’s 50-day moving average is $102.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.96. The company has a market capitalization of $21.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.07, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.71.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The utilities provider reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52. The business had revenue of $2.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Entergy Co. will post 7.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 2nd will be paid a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.39%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 1st. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.76%.

Insider Transactions at Entergy

In other Entergy news, EVP Marcus V. Brown sold 8,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.84, for a total value of $874,140.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,911 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,019,247.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Marcus V. Brown sold 8,500 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.84, for a total transaction of $874,140.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,911 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,019,247.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Deanna D. Rodriguez sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.23, for a total value of $151,845.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,442 shares in the company, valued at approximately $348,433.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 12,000 shares of company stock worth $1,226,685. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ETR has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays cut 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. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Entergy from $110.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $117.00 target price on shares of Entergy in a research report on Monday, February 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Entergy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $109.78.

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.