Viking Fund Management LLC Makes New $5.52 Million Investment in Evergy, Inc. (NASDAQ:EVRG)

Viking Fund Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Evergy, Inc. (NASDAQ:EVRG - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 80,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,516,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of EVRG. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC lifted its stake in Evergy by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 16,492 shares of the company's stock worth $1,015,000 after acquiring an additional 1,700 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in shares of Evergy by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 10,023 shares of the company's stock valued at $617,000 after purchasing an additional 550 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Evergy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $257,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Evergy by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,480 shares of the company's stock worth $154,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. Finally, Caprock Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Evergy by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 12,106 shares of the company's stock valued at $745,000 after purchasing an additional 1,126 shares in the last quarter. 87.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Evergy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EVRG traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $65.07. The company had a trading volume of 1,590,549 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,980,006. Evergy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $52.10 and a 1 year high of $70.36. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $67.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of $14.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.50.

Evergy (NASDAQ:EVRG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66 by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $1.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.21 billion. Evergy had a return on equity of 8.77% and a net margin of 14.77%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.54 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Evergy, Inc. will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Evergy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.6675 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.67 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.10%. Evergy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on EVRG shares. Citigroup upped their target price on Evergy from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Evergy from $73.00 to $71.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 30th. UBS Group raised Evergy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $68.00 to $78.00 in a research report on Monday, April 28th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Evergy in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Evergy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $72.19.

Evergy Profile

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.