Cerity Partners LLC Increases Stake in Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR)

Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR - Free Report) by 141.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 107,081 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 62,758 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Entergy worth $10,836,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Entergy by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,038,725 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,408,582,000 after purchasing an additional 104,803 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Entergy by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,122,596 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,415,313,000 after buying an additional 908,932 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Entergy by 11.9% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,664,512 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $502,556,000 after buying an additional 497,482 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Entergy by 64.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,562,369 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $422,019,000 after buying an additional 1,787,977 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Entergy by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,506,843 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $416,883,000 after buying an additional 48,047 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.07% of the company's stock.

Entergy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ETR traded down $0.62 during trading on Monday, hitting $102.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,015,145 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,354,636. The company has a 50-day moving average of $102.20 and a 200-day moving average of $99.90. Entergy Co. has a 12 month low of $87.10 and a 12 month high of $109.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $21.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.71.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The utilities provider reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52. Entergy had a net margin of 19.41% and a return on equity of 10.54%. The company had revenue of $2.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.51 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Entergy Co. will post 7.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 1st. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.42%. Entergy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.76%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ETR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Entergy from $110.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Entergy from $108.00 to $107.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $117.00 target price on shares of Entergy in a research note on Monday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $109.78.

Insider Transactions at Entergy

In other news, EVP Marcus V. Brown sold 8,500 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.84, for a total transaction of $874,140.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,911 shares in the company, valued at $1,019,247.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Deanna D. Rodriguez sold 1,500 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.23, for a total value of $151,845.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,442 shares in the company, valued at $348,433.66. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Marcus V. Brown sold 8,500 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.84, for a total value of $874,140.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,911 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,019,247.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,000 shares of company stock worth $1,226,685. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.