Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Has $13.03 Million Stake in Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lessened its stake in shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES - Free Report) by 64.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 226,867 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 404,584 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned about 0.06% of Eversource Energy worth $13,029,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy by 15.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,095,966 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $74,582,000 after purchasing an additional 150,535 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 413,874 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $28,164,000 after buying an additional 17,654 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank grew its stake in shares of Eversource Energy by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 79,444 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,562,000 after buying an additional 6,641 shares in the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management increased its holdings in Eversource Energy by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 21,206 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,218,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Eversource Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $208,000. 79.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eversource Energy Trading Up 1.6%

NYSE:ES traded up $0.97 on Thursday, hitting $62.32. 2,942,738 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,416,093. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76. Eversource Energy has a 52 week low of $52.28 and a 52 week high of $69.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.61. The company's 50-day moving average price is $59.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.89.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50. The firm had revenue of $4.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.65 billion. Eversource Energy had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 10.99%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.49 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Eversource Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.7525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $3.01 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.83%. Eversource Energy's payout ratio is currently 129.74%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Frederica M. Williams sold 3,092 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.26, for a total transaction of $192,507.92. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,671 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,411,496.46. This represents a 12.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Jay S. Buth sold 980 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.99, for a total transaction of $61,730.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 24,374 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ES has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an "underweight" rating and set a $58.00 price target (down previously from $69.00) on shares of Eversource Energy in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Scotiabank cut their price objective on Eversource Energy from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a "sector underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Eversource Energy in a report on Monday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $65.78.

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.