Cohen & Steers Inc. Invests $74.93 Million in Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR)

Cohen & Steers Inc. bought a new position in shares of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 988,288 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $74,932,000. Cohen & Steers Inc. owned approximately 0.23% of Entergy at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ETR. Fortis Group Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Entergy by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 344 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. NBT Bank N A NY grew its stake in shares of Entergy by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 340 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Entergy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 358 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Sandy Spring Bank raised its stake in Entergy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 358 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Riverview Trust Co raised its position in shares of Entergy by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 364 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.07% of the company's stock.

Entergy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ETR traded up $0.87 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $83.11. The stock had a trading volume of 3,228,172 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,693,272. The company has a market capitalization of $35.80 billion, a PE ratio of 34.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.56. Entergy Corporation has a 1 year low of $51.75 and a 1 year high of $88.38. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $83.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.03. Entergy had a return on equity of 10.68% and a net margin of 8.90%. The company had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.26 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Entergy Corporation will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. Entergy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ETR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Entergy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Entergy from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Entergy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $86.50 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Entergy from $94.00 to $89.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Entergy from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Entergy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $85.25.

Entergy 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.