John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES)

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. boosted its position in Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 73,542 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,482 shares during the period. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Eversource Energy were worth $4,539,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ES. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new position in Eversource Energy in the first quarter worth about $1,257,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Eversource Energy by 16.3% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,130,660 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $99,716,000 after buying an additional 158,844 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Eversource Energy by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 7,816 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $693,000 after buying an additional 613 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of Eversource Energy by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 153,081 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $13,510,000 after buying an additional 2,219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in shares of Eversource Energy by 76.9% during the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 133,385 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $11,763,000 after buying an additional 57,995 shares in the last quarter. 79.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Eversource Energy Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE ES traded up $0.70 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $59.69. 2,314,817 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,976,006. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $58.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $57.78. Eversource Energy has a 12 month low of $52.03 and a 12 month high of $79.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -47.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.58.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.02). Eversource Energy had a negative net margin of 3.71% and a positive return on equity of 9.92%. The business had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS. Eversource Energy’s revenue was down 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Eversource Energy will post 4.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 5th were issued a dividend of $0.715 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 4th. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.79%. This is a boost from Eversource Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. Eversource Energy’s payout ratio is presently -226.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on ES shares. Argus lowered their price objective on Eversource Energy from $85.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Eversource Energy from $67.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Eversource Energy from $66.00 to $61.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Mizuho raised Eversource Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $54.00 to $62.00 in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Eversource Energy to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $66.08.

Insider Activity at Eversource Energy

In related news, insider Linda Dorcena Forry sold 822 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.12, for a total transaction of $47,774.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 10,485 shares in the company, valued at approximately $609,388.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Eversource Energy news, insider Linda Dorcena Forry sold 822 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.12, for a total value of $47,774.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,485 shares in the company, valued at approximately $609,388.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Frederica M. Williams sold 2,714 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.60, for a total value of $156,326.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 21,621 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,245,369.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Eversource Energy

Eversource Energy, a public utility holding company, engages in the energy delivery business. The company operates through Electric Distribution, Electric Transmission, Natural Gas Distribution, and Water Distribution segments. It is involved in the transmission and distribution of electricity; solar power facilities; and distribution of natural gas.