Entergy (NYSE:ETR) Sets New 52-Week Low - Time to Sell?

Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $81.44 and last traded at $83.17, with a volume of 4003229 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $83.53.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ETR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. 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. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Entergy from $86.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Entergy in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Entergy from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Entergy from $88.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $85.75.

Entergy Stock Performance

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 fifty day moving average price of $83.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $79.10. The company has a market cap of $36.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.69, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.62.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.22. Entergy had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 10.68%. The business had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.13 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.54 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Entergy Corporation will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.84%. Entergy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.92%.

Institutional Trading of Entergy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Entergy during the 3rd quarter worth $175,000. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Entergy by 78.3% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 4,269 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $562,000 after purchasing an additional 1,875 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Entergy by 53.0% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,718,859 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $754,318,000 after purchasing an additional 1,981,611 shares during the period. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Entergy by 35.9% in the 3rd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 13,076 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,723,000 after purchasing an additional 3,456 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Entergy by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 280,262 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $36,885,000 after purchasing an additional 10,697 shares in 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.