Swiss National Bank Reduces Stake in Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR)

Swiss National Bank lessened its position in shares of Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 661,200 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 18,700 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.31% of Entergy worth $66,907,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Entergy by 157.1% in the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 270 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Fortis Group Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Entergy during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Entergy during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. CVA Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Entergy during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new position in Entergy in the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. 88.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Entergy news, insider Deanna D. Rodriguez sold 1,500 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $348,433.66. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Entergy news, EVP Marcus V. Brown sold 8,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.84, for a total transaction of $874,140.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,911 shares in the company, valued at $1,019,247.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Deanna D. Rodriguez sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.23, for a total value of $151,845.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $348,433.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,000 shares of company stock worth $1,226,685. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on ETR shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $117.00 price target on shares of Entergy in a report on Monday, February 26th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Entergy from $110.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Scotiabank lowered their price target on shares of Entergy from $111.00 to $104.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 22nd. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Entergy from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Entergy from $108.00 to $107.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $109.45.

Entergy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ETR opened at $108.08 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $104.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $101.21. Entergy Co. has a 52-week low of $87.10 and a 52-week high of $108.45. The company has a market cap of $23.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.69.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.36). Entergy had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 17.75%. The firm had revenue of $31.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.16 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.14 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Entergy Co. will post 7.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 2nd will be issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 1st. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.34%.

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.