Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Buys 77,469 Shares of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its holdings in shares of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR - Free Report) by 84.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 168,835 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 77,469 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in Entergy were worth $12,801,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fortis Group Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Entergy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 344 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the period. NBT Bank N A NY increased its position in Entergy by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 340 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Entergy by 100.0% during 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 during the last quarter. Sandy Spring Bank lifted its position in shares of Entergy by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 358 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. Finally, Glen Eagle Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Entergy by 100.0% in 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 during the last quarter. 88.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on ETR shares. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Entergy from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $85.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Entergy from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays increased their price target on Entergy from $88.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Entergy in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Entergy from $87.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $86.04.

Entergy Stock Performance

ETR stock traded down $0.97 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $81.81. 1,952,318 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,664,443. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. Entergy Corporation has a 52-week low of $52.07 and a 52-week high of $88.38. The stock has a market cap of $35.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.60, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.62. The stock's 50-day moving average is $82.84 and its 200 day moving average is $80.59.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.54 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Entergy Corporation will post 3.88 EPS for the current year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.93%. Entergy's dividend payout ratio is currently 77.92%.

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.