Evergy (NASDAQ:EVRG) Upgraded by LADENBURG THALM/SH SH to Strong-Buy Rating

Evergy (NASDAQ:EVRG - Get Free Report) was upgraded by LADENBURG THALM/SH SH to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on EVRG. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Evergy from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group upgraded Evergy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $68.00 to $78.00 in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Guggenheim raised shares of Evergy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $71.50.

Evergy Trading Down 1.0%

EVRG stock traded down $0.63 during trading on Thursday, hitting $64.72. 431,726 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,948,671. The company has a 50-day moving average of $67.32 and a 200-day moving average of $64.84. Evergy has a 1 year low of $52.10 and a 1 year high of $70.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.89 billion, a PE ratio of 17.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.55.

Evergy (NASDAQ:EVRG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $1.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.21 billion. Evergy had a net margin of 14.77% and a return on equity of 8.77%. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.54 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Evergy will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Evergy

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EVRG. Bfsg LLC bought a new position in shares of Evergy during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Evergy during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. National Pension Service acquired a new position in shares of Evergy in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Evergy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new position in Evergy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 87.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Evergy

Evergy, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity in the United States. The company generates electricity through coal, landfill gas, uranium, and natural gas and oil sources, as well as solar, wind, other renewable sources. It serves residences, commercial firms, industrials, municipalities, and other electric utilities.