Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) Upgraded to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Thursday morning.

ES has been the topic of several other reports. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “sector underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Eversource Energy in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Eversource Energy has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $67.45.

Eversource Energy Stock Up 2.3 %

NYSE ES opened at $61.50 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $59.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.05. Eversource Energy has a 12 month low of $54.75 and a 12 month high of $69.01. The company has a market capitalization of $22.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.62, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.60.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.01. Eversource Energy had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 10.99%. Equities research analysts expect that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be paid a $0.7525 dividend. This is a boost from Eversource Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $3.01 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.89%. Eversource Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 130.30%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Jay S. Buth sold 980 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.99, for a total value of $61,730.20. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 24,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,535,318.26. This represents a 3.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Frederica M. Williams sold 3,092 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.26, for a total transaction of $192,507.92. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,671 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,411,496.46. The trade was a 12.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eversource Energy

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ES. Atria Investments Inc grew its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy by 61.8% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 20,913 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,423,000 after purchasing an additional 7,984 shares during the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Eversource Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $238,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Eversource Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy by 27.3% in the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,335 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $431,000 after purchasing an additional 1,357 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 121,166 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,245,000 after purchasing an additional 3,960 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.99% of the company’s stock.

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.