Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) has received a "Moderate Buy" rating from analysts, with 10 buy recommendations and 5 hold ratings, setting an average 1-year price target of $86.46.
• Institutional investors have shown increased interest in Entergy, with several firms expanding their stakes significantly, contributing to an 88.07% ownership of the stock by hedge funds and other institutions.
• The company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share with a yield of 2.72%.

Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $86.46.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on ETR shares. Barclays reduced their target price on Entergy from $91.00 to $87.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Entergy from $82.00 to $81.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Entergy in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Entergy from $85.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Entergy from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ETR. Mattson Financial Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Entergy by 100.0% during the first quarter. Mattson Financial Services LLC now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Entergy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC now owns 360 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. grew its stake in Entergy by 135.7% during the 2nd quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 330 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new stake in Entergy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc purchased a new stake in Entergy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. 88.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Entergy Price Performance

Entergy stock opened at $88.20 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.59. Entergy has a 12-month low of $56.00 and a 12-month high of $89.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The firm's 50-day moving average is $82.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.85.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. Entergy had a net margin of 11.26% and a return on equity of 11.43%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.54 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Entergy will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Entergy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.72%. Entergy's dividend payout ratio is currently 77.92%.

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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