Emera Incorporated (EMA.TO) - What Are Researchers Saying About This Stock?

Key Points

• Emera has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from nine analysts, with six buys and three holds. The average 12-month price target is C$76.25, compared with a recent share price of C$66.79.
• Recent analyst actions were mixed: JPMorgan and BMO raised their price targets, while TD, Barclays, and National Bank Financial adjusted targets lower or maintained neutral views.
• Emera increased its quarterly dividend to C$0.74, implying an annualized dividend of C$2.96 and a 4.4% yield. The company reported quarterly EPS of C$0.69 on C$2.01 billion in revenue.

Emera Incorporated (TSE:EMA - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the nine research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$76.25.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on EMA. National Bank Financial raised their price target on Emera from C$73.00 to C$74.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Emera from C$73.00 to C$79.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. TD reduced their price objective on Emera from C$79.00 to C$75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Emera from C$74.00 to C$71.00 in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Emera from C$76.00 to C$80.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd.

Emera Trading Down 0.3%

TSE EMA opened at C$66.79 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 153.87, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market cap of C$20.51 billion, a PE ratio of 21.20, a P/E/G ratio of 6.20 and a beta of 0.42. Emera has a one year low of C$64.62 and a one year high of C$77.99. The firm's fifty day moving average is C$68.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$71.84.

Emera (TSE:EMA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported C$0.69 EPS for the quarter. Emera had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 7.51%. The business had revenue of C$2.01 billion during the quarter. Analysts expect that Emera will post 3.20 earnings per share for the current year.

Emera Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 13th will be issued a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 30th. This is an increase from Emera's previous quarterly dividend of $0.7325. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.4%. Emera's dividend payout ratio is presently 92.78%.

About Emera

Emera TSX/NYSE: EMA is a leading North American provider of energy services headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with investments in regulated electric and natural gas utilities, and related businesses and assets. The Emera family of companies delivers safe, reliable energy to approximately 2.7 million customers in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. Our team of 7,800 employees is committed to our purpose of energizing modern life and delivering a cleaner energy future for all. Emera's common and preferred shares are listed and trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange and its common shares are listed and trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

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