Natixis Sells 44,892 Shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES)

Natixis reduced its position in Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES - Free Report) by 18.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 192,407 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 44,892 shares during the quarter. Natixis owned about 0.05% of Eversource Energy worth $11,050,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Eversource Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Eversource Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in Eversource Energy by 99.2% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 510 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy by 104.5% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 589 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 301 shares during the period. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Eversource Energy during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.99% of the company's stock.

Eversource Energy Price Performance

ES traded down $0.47 during trading on Friday, reaching $58.06. The stock had a trading volume of 1,053,279 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,331,490. Eversource Energy has a 1-year low of $52.28 and a 1-year high of $69.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.58. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $59.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $60.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.01. Eversource Energy had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 10.99%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.7525 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $3.01 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.18%. This is an increase from Eversource Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Eversource Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 130.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on ES. StockNews.com upgraded Eversource Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $58.00 target price (down previously from $69.00) on shares of Eversource Energy in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Eversource Energy from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a "sector underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Eversource Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $65.78.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Jay S. Buth sold 980 shares of Eversource Energy stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.99, for a total value of $61,730.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 24,374 shares in the company, valued at $1,535,318.26. This trade represents a 3.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Frederica M. Williams sold 3,092 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.26, for a total value of $192,507.92. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,671 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,411,496.46. This represents a 12.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Eversource Energy Profile

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.