Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Acquires 5,681 Shares of Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) by 467.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,897 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,681 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Entergy were worth $698,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Entergy by 157.1% during the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 270 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Entergy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Entergy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. CVA Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Entergy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new position in shares of Entergy in the third quarter valued at $43,000. 88.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp lifted their price target 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. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $117.00 target price on shares of Entergy in a research note on Monday, February 26th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Entergy from $110.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on Entergy from $111.00 to $104.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Entergy from $108.00 to $107.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $109.45.

Entergy Trading Up 1.4 %

ETR opened at $110.58 on Wednesday. Entergy Co. has a 1-year low of $87.10 and a 1-year high of $110.72. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $104.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $101.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.61 billion, a PE ratio of 11.09, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68.

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

Entergy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 2nd will be given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 1st. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.09%. Entergy’s payout ratio is 45.34%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Deanna D. Rodriguez sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.23, for a total value of $151,845.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $348,433.66. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Deanna D. Rodriguez sold 1,500 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.23, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Reginald T. Jackson sold 9,229 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.71, for a total value of $1,003,284.59. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $235,465.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 21,229 shares of company stock valued at $2,229,970. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Entergy 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.