Delta Financial Advisors LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR)

Delta Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) by 0.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,121 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the quarter. Delta Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Entergy were worth $2,367,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Entergy by 6.3% during the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 234,595 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,275,000 after purchasing an additional 13,882 shares during the period. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC boosted its stake in Entergy by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 55,261 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,592,000 after buying an additional 5,509 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Entergy in the 4th quarter valued at about $127,675,000. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new position in shares of Entergy during the 4th quarter valued at about $15,783,000. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Entergy by 55.4% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 14,877 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,571,000 after acquiring an additional 5,303 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.07% of the company’s stock.

Entergy Stock Performance

ETR opened at $121.90 on Friday. Entergy Co. has a twelve month low of $87.10 and a twelve month high of $123.73. The stock has a market cap of $26.03 billion, a PE ratio of 12.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71. The business’s 50 day moving average is $114.55 and its 200-day moving average is $109.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.16. Entergy had a return on equity of 10.10% and a net margin of 14.75%. The company had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.98 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.84 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Entergy Co. will post 7.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 13th were paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.71%. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on ETR shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Entergy from $124.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Argus raised Entergy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Entergy from $115.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Entergy from $116.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Entergy from $118.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.04.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 3,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $388,672.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 150,731 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,307,787.26. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Eliecer Viamontes sold 5,166 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $619,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 5,117 shares in the company, valued at approximately $614,040. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total value of $388,672.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 150,731 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,307,787.26. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 39,638 shares of company stock valued at $4,712,446 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.39% 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.