Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Acquires 15,892 Shares of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR)

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR - Free Report) by 25.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 78,470 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 15,892 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Entergy were worth $6,708,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. NBT Bank N A NY grew its stake in Entergy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 340 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the period. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Entergy by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 358 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Sandy Spring Bank grew its position in Entergy by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 358 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC increased its stake in Entergy by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC now owns 360 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Riverview Trust Co raised its holdings in Entergy by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 364 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.07% of the company's stock.

Entergy Stock Performance

ETR traded up $0.62 during trading on Monday, hitting $83.10. 2,526,732 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,584,788. Entergy Corporation has a one year low of $52.07 and a one year high of $88.38. The stock's fifty day moving average is $82.67 and its 200 day moving average is $81.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91. The firm has a market cap of $35.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.60.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.22. Entergy had a net margin of 11.26% and a return on equity of 11.43%. The firm had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.54 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Entergy Corporation will post 3.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.89%. Entergy's payout ratio is presently 77.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ETR shares. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Entergy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Entergy from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Entergy from $82.00 to $81.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Barclays raised their target price on Entergy from $88.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Entergy from $87.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Six investment 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Entergy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.25.

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.