Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $85.75.

A number of research firms have weighed in on ETR. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Entergy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.50 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Entergy from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. UBS Group raised their price target on Entergy from $86.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Entergy in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Entergy from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th.

Entergy Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE:ETR opened at $80.89 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.72. The company has a market cap of $34.85 billion, a PE ratio of 33.22, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.62. Entergy has a 52-week low of $52.07 and a 52-week high of $88.38. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $83.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.84.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.13 billion. Entergy had a return on equity of 10.68% and a net margin of 8.90%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.54 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Entergy will post 3.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.97%. Entergy’s payout ratio is currently 77.92%.

Institutional Trading of Entergy

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Acropolis Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Entergy by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC now owns 17,954 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,535,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Gen Wealth Partners Inc lifted its holdings in Entergy by 27.5% during the 4th quarter. Gen Wealth Partners Inc now owns 668 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Hall Laurie J Trustee lifted its holdings in Entergy by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. Hall Laurie J Trustee now owns 450 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Entergy by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 29,336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,224,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Entergy by 18.6% during the 1st quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,050 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $90,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. 88.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.