Entergy (NYSE:ETR) Reaches New 52-Week High at $125.98

Shares of Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $125.98 and last traded at $125.05, with a volume of 228821 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $123.55.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ETR shares. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Entergy from $135.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Entergy from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 31st. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Entergy from $112.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 20th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Entergy from $116.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $109.50 price objective (down from $117.00) on shares of Entergy in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.04.

Entergy Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $115.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $109.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. The company has a market capitalization of $27.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.73.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last issued its 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 net margin of 14.75% and a return on equity of 10.10%. The firm had revenue of $2.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.98 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.84 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Entergy Co. will post 7.22 EPS for the current year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.58%. Entergy’s payout ratio is currently 45.34%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $18,307,787.26. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Entergy news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 3,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were 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 $18,307,787.26. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.03, for a total transaction of $72,018.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 150,731 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,092,241.93. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 42,888 shares of company stock valued at $5,110,766 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Entergy

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Entergy during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in shares of Entergy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors increased its stake in shares of Entergy by 2,172.7% during the first quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors now owns 250 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the period. American National Bank increased its stake in shares of Entergy by 93.7% during the second quarter. American National Bank now owns 277 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Entergy during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.07% of the company’s stock.

Entergy Company 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.