Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) Short Interest Update

Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,940,000 shares, a growth of 21.2% from the October 15th total of 3,250,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,800,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days.

Entergy Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of Entergy stock traded up $2.08 on Friday, reaching $149.12. The stock had a trading volume of 2,594,274 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,107,515. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $135.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $120.19. Entergy has a 1 year low of $96.15 and a 1 year high of $156.85.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $2.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.08. Entergy had a net margin of 14.83% and a return on equity of 9.53%. The business had revenue of $3.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.27 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Entergy will post 7.21 EPS for the current year.

Entergy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This is a boost from Entergy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on ETR shares. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Entergy from $143.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Entergy from $137.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Entergy from $137.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Entergy from $137.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Entergy from $143.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $150.96.

Insider Buying and Selling at Entergy

In related news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 19,200 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.35, for a total transaction of $2,310,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 150,731 shares in the company, valued at $18,140,475.85. This trade represents a 11.30 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Eliecer Viamontes sold 5,166 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $619,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 5,117 shares in the company, valued at $614,040. This represents a 50.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 40,472 shares of company stock worth $5,076,328 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Entergy

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Entergy by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,427 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $451,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Entergy by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC now owns 8,836 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,163,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Entergy by 0.9% in the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 8,087 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,065,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Entergy by 12.8% during the third quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 795 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $105,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Prossimo Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Entergy by 1.5% during the third quarter. Prossimo Advisors LLC now owns 5,971 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $786,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.07% of the company’s stock.

About Entergy

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.