Entergy (NYSE:ETR) Reaches New 1-Year High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Shares hit a new 52-week high of $108.81, even though analysts' consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $107.17.
• Entergy slightly missed the latest quarter (EPS $0.51 vs. $0.52; revenue $2.96B vs. $2.99B) but set FY2026 guidance of $4.25–$4.45 EPS and pays a $0.64 quarterly dividend (annualized yield ~2.3%, payout ratio ~65%).
• Large institutional investors materially increased stakes in Q4 (JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Norges Bank, Raymond James), resulting in ~88% institutional ownership, while insider ownership is minimal (0.39%) and an EVP recently sold shares.

Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $108.81 and last traded at $108.62, with a volume of 1078216 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $102.86.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on ETR shares. Wall Street Zen cut Entergy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, February 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $112.00 price target on shares of Entergy in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Entergy from $102.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Entergy from $105.00 to $119.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Entergy in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $107.17.

Entergy Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $101.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $96.41. The stock has a market cap of $49.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.23, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.64.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The utilities provider reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $2.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.99 billion. Entergy had a net margin of 13.66% and a return on equity of 10.89%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. Entergy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.250-4.450 EPS. Analysts forecast that Entergy Corporation will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a dividend of $0.64 per share. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. Entergy's dividend payout ratio is currently 65.47%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John C. Dinelli sold 5,372 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.95, for a total transaction of $558,419.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,609 shares in the company, valued at $2,454,155.55. The trade was a 18.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.39% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Entergy

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Entergy by 54.9% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 22,694,994 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,097,699,000 after acquiring an additional 8,046,287 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Entergy during the 4th quarter valued at $528,313,000. Morgan Stanley increased its position in Entergy by 22.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,651,436 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $984,512,000 after purchasing an additional 1,986,369 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Entergy by 89.6% in 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 purchased a new stake in shares of Entergy in the 4th quarter worth about $153,616,000. 88.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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