Entergy (NYSE:ETR) Cut to Sell at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Entergy (NYSE:ETR) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Saturday morning.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on ETR. Argus upgraded shares of Entergy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Entergy from $68.50 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Entergy from $72.50 to $82.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Entergy from $83.00 to $79.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, KeyCorp cut shares of Entergy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.40.

Entergy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ETR opened at $75.43 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market cap of $32.35 billion, a PE ratio of 18.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $73.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $63.66. Entergy has a one year low of $48.08 and a one year high of $79.04.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.04. Entergy had a return on equity of 9.53% and a net margin of 14.83%. The firm had revenue of $3.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.64 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Entergy will post 3.61 EPS for the current year.

Entergy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.18%. Entergy’s payout ratio is 58.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Entergy

In related news, insider Haley Fisackerly sold 8,268 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.52, for a total value of $616,090.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 4,032 shares in the company, valued at $300,444.48. This represents a 67.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Eliecer Viamontes sold 400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.50, for a total transaction of $29,400.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 8,346 shares in the company, valued at $613,431. This trade represents a 4.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,756 shares of company stock worth $1,095,637 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Entergy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Entergy in the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in Entergy by 423.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 220 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Trust Company N.A acquired a new stake in shares of Entergy during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Coastline Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Entergy during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in shares of Entergy in the second quarter worth $34,000. 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.