Entergy (NYSE:ETR) Reaches New 1-Year High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Entered a new 52‑week high at $117.95 after Q1 results: revenue beat ($3.19B vs. ~$3.08B) supported by data‑center demand, but adjusted EPS of $0.86 missed estimates by about $0.04.
• Affirmed FY‑2026 guidance at $4.25–$4.45 and raised longer‑term outlooks, suggesting management sees momentum beyond the quarter despite the earnings miss.
• Market and dividend context: analysts hold a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average target of $113.74, the company pays a $0.64 quarterly dividend (2.2% yield), and institutional investors have materially increased positions.

Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $117.95 and last traded at $116.0820, with a volume of 1595827 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $113.16.

Entergy News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Entergy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Higher demand from data centers and stronger retail sales helped Entergy lift first‑quarter profit ~6.7%, signaling durable customer demand that supports future revenue visibility. Utility Entergy posts higher first‑quarter profit on strong data center demand
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue beat analysts — Entergy reported $3.19B in Q1 sales versus ~ $3.08B expected, which supports top‑line strength even as costs rose. View Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Entergy affirmed its FY‑2026 EPS guidance (range $4.25–$4.45) and said it raised longer‑term outlooks, giving investors confidence management sees momentum beyond Q1. Entergy reports first quarter 2026 financial results
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 EPS was up year‑over‑year (from $0.82 to $0.86 on an adjusted basis), demonstrating operating improvement, but the increase was modest relative to investor expectations. Entergy: Q1 Earnings Snapshot
• Negative Sentiment: Entergy missed consensus EPS estimates for the quarter ($0.86 reported vs. ~$0.89–$0.90 expected), which is a short‑term drag on sentiment and explains some profit‑taking pressure. Entergy (ETR) Q1 Earnings Miss Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: The midpoint of Entergy's FY‑2026 guidance (~$4.35) sits slightly below the consensus figure (~$4.40), leaving limited upside vs. analyst expectations unless execution improves. View Slide Deck

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ETR. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Entergy from $100.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Entergy from a "sell" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. Seaport Research Partners downgraded shares of Entergy from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Entergy in a research report on Friday, January 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $108.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $112.00 price objective on shares of Entergy in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $113.74.

Entergy Trading Up 2.0%

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $108.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $100.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.57.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $3.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.08 billion. Entergy had a net margin of 13.66% and a return on equity of 10.89%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.82 EPS. Entergy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.250-4.450 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Entergy Corporation will post 4.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Entergy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 1st. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Entergy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Entergy

In other news, EVP John C. Dinelli sold 5,372 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.95, for a total transaction of $558,419.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,609 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,454,155.55. The trade was a 18.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ETR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Entergy by 54.9% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 22,694,994 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,097,699,000 after purchasing an additional 8,046,287 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Entergy during the 4th quarter worth about $528,313,000. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in shares of Entergy by 22.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,651,436 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $984,512,000 after purchasing an additional 1,986,369 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in Entergy by 89.6% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,866,426 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $357,415,000 after purchasing an additional 1,826,782 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zimmer Partners LP acquired a new stake in Entergy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $153,616,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.07% of the company's stock.

Entergy Company Profile

Entergy Corporation NYSE: ETR is an integrated energy company headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, that generates, transmits and distributes electricity. The company's operations combine regulated utility services with competitive power production, supplying retail electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers while also participating in wholesale energy markets. Entergy's generation fleet includes nuclear, natural gas, hydropower and other resources, and it operates a network of transmission and distribution assets to deliver power to end users.

Entergy conducts its regulated utility business through state-based operating subsidiaries that serve customers across parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and southeast Texas.

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