Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the ten research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $65.78.

ES has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a "sector underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Eversource Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th.

Eversource Energy Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of ES stock traded up $0.74 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $58.79. 209,452 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,852,379. The business's fifty day moving average is $60.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Eversource Energy has a 12-month low of $52.28 and a 12-month high of $69.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.58.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.01. Eversource Energy had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 10.99%. As a group, research analysts expect that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were issued a $0.7525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $3.01 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.12%. This is an increase from Eversource Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Eversource Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 130.30%.

Insider Transactions at Eversource Energy

In other Eversource Energy news, insider Frederica M. Williams sold 3,092 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.26, for a total transaction of $192,507.92. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,671 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,411,496.46. This represents a 12.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Jay S. Buth sold 980 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.99, for a total transaction of $61,730.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 24,374 shares in the company, valued at $1,535,318.26. The trade was a 3.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Eversource Energy by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,609,716 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,561,936,000 after buying an additional 1,387,072 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Eversource Energy by 38.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 16,470,356 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $945,893,000 after buying an additional 4,585,232 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Eversource Energy by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,933,838 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $570,500,000 after buying an additional 226,972 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,557,213 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $547,550,000 after acquiring an additional 517,042 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Eversource Energy by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,352,593 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $422,259,000 after acquiring an additional 333,529 shares in the last quarter. 79.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Eversource Energy

Eversource Energy, a public utility holding company, engages in the energy delivery business. The company operates through Electric Distribution, Electric Transmission, Natural Gas Distribution, and Water Distribution segments. It is involved in the transmission and distribution of electricity; solar power facilities; and distribution of natural gas.