Vanguard Group Inc. Decreases Holdings in Enerplus Co. (NYSE:ERF)

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its position in Enerplus Co. (NYSE:ERF - Free Report) TSE: ERF by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,747,287 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock after selling 131,825 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 3.80% of Enerplus worth $136,585,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in Enerplus by 155.3% during the first quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 30,620 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $390,000 after purchasing an additional 18,625 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Enerplus by 656.1% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 135,638 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $1,723,000 after acquiring an additional 117,700 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Enerplus by 13.0% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 116,659 shares of the oil and natural gas company's stock valued at $1,481,000 after acquiring an additional 13,430 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Enerplus during the first quarter valued at approximately $158,000. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Enerplus during the first quarter valued at approximately $138,000. Institutional investors own 58.42% of the company's stock.

Enerplus Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ERF traded up $0.33 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $20.17. 3,029,615 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,218,496. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $17.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.10 billion, a PE ratio of 9.45 and a beta of 1.99. Enerplus Co. has a 12 month low of $13.46 and a 12 month high of $20.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80.

Enerplus (NYSE:ERF - Get Free Report) TSE: ERF last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $437.10 million during the quarter. Enerplus had a net margin of 27.67% and a return on equity of 40.36%. Equities research analysts expect that Enerplus Co. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Enerplus Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.58%. This is a boost from Enerplus's previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. Enerplus's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.38%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. TD Securities restated a "tender" rating and set a $18.85 price target (down previously from $21.00) on shares of Enerplus in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Enerplus in a report on Friday, March 29th. They set a "hold" rating for the company. National Bankshares reduced their price target on shares of Enerplus from $25.00 to $21.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. Finally, CIBC reduced their price target on shares of Enerplus from $23.00 to $19.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $21.69.

Enerplus Company Profile

Enerplus Corporation, together with subsidiaries, explores and develops crude oil and natural gas in the United States. Its oil and natural gas properties are located primarily in North Dakota, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.