Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $86.04.

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ETR. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Entergy from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Entergy from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Entergy from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $85.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Entergy from $87.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, 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.

Entergy Stock Performance

Entergy stock opened at $82.11 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $82.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $81.02. Entergy has a 1-year low of $52.07 and a 1-year high of $88.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market cap of $35.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.59.

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

Entergy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. Entergy's payout ratio is currently 77.92%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Entergy

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in 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 boosted its holdings in shares of Entergy by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 340 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. Mattson Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Entergy by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Mattson Financial Services LLC now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Entergy by 100.0% in the 4th 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 period. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank lifted its position in Entergy by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 358 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 179 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.

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