Jefferies Financial Group Begins Coverage on Entergy (NYSE:ETR)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group has initiated coverage on Entergy (NYSE: ETR) with a "buy" rating and a target price of $109.00, indicating a potential upside of 25.07% from its previous close.
• Entergy’s recent quarterly earnings reported an EPS of $1.05, exceeding the consensus estimate of $0.91, although revenue fell short of expectations at $3.02 billion.
• Currently, Entergy has an average analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with twelve analysts rating it as a Buy and a price target average of $89.87.

Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Entergy (NYSE:ETR - Free Report) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $109.00 price objective on the utilities provider's stock.

ETR has been the topic of several other research reports. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Entergy from $91.00 to $87.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of Entergy in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Entergy from $102.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $96.00 target price (up from $88.00) on shares of Entergy in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Mizuho set a $97.00 price objective on Entergy and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $89.87.

Entergy Price Performance

Shares of Entergy stock traded up $0.44 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $87.27. 703,494 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,458,080. Entergy has a 1 year low of $60.00 and a 1 year high of $92.40. The company has a market capitalization of $38.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.61. The business has a fifty day moving average of $87.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $84.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. Entergy had a net margin of 14.35% and a return on equity of 11.52%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.92 earnings per share. Entergy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.750-3.95 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Entergy will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th were given a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 13th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Entergy's payout ratio is 59.85%.

Insider Transactions at Entergy

In related news, insider Haley Fisackerly sold 4,463 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.50, for a total value of $403,901.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 3,318 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $300,279. This represents a 57.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Entergy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Entergy during the second quarter valued at about $468,628,000. Boston Partners raised its holdings in Entergy by 114.9% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 6,940,628 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $578,531,000 after buying an additional 3,710,814 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Entergy by 474.0% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 3,876,985 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $293,953,000 after purchasing an additional 3,201,530 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc raised its position in Entergy by 964.8% during the 1st quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 3,055,698 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $261,232,000 after buying an additional 2,768,734 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Entergy by 5.2% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 54,828,994 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,687,331,000 after buying an additional 2,695,348 shares during the last quarter. 88.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.