United Asset Strategies Inc. Purchases 95,885 Shares of Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR)

United Asset Strategies Inc. lifted its holdings in Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR - Free Report) by 245.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 134,921 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 95,885 shares during the quarter. Entergy accounts for approximately 1.5% of United Asset Strategies Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. United Asset Strategies Inc. owned 0.06% of Entergy worth $13,653,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Entergy by 157.1% during the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 270 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new position in Entergy during the first quarter worth $29,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Entergy during the third quarter worth $32,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Entergy during the third quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its stake in Entergy by 17,550.0% during the third quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 353 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 351 shares during the period. 88.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Marcus V. Brown sold 8,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,911 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,019,247.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, EVP Marcus V. Brown sold 8,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,911 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,019,247.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Kimberly Cook-Nelson sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.35, for a total value of $200,700.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,037 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,609,312.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,000 shares of company stock worth $1,226,685. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on ETR shares. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Entergy from $108.00 to $107.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $117.00 target price on shares of Entergy in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Entergy from $110.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Entergy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $109.78.

Entergy Stock Performance

NYSE ETR traded down $1.71 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $100.58. The stock had a trading volume of 1,578,476 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,357,684. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $102.23 and a 200 day moving average of $99.96. The stock has a market cap of $21.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.71. Entergy Co. has a 52-week low of $87.10 and a 52-week high of $109.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.57.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The utilities provider reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52. Entergy had a return on equity of 10.54% and a net margin of 19.41%. The firm had revenue of $2.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Entergy Co. will post 7.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 2nd will be given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 1st. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.49%. Entergy's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.76%.

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.