Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) Shares Sold by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 55,894 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 757 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Eversource Energy were worth $3,210,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ES. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Eversource Energy by 2.8% during the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 6,147 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $418,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in Eversource Energy by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,855 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $107,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Eversource Energy by 38.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 710 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eversource Energy by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 4,893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy by 1.9% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 12,306 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $837,000 after buying an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ES. StockNews.com raised shares of Eversource Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on Eversource Energy from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “sector underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Eversource Energy in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Eversource Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $67.45.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Eversource Energy Stock Up 1.1 %

ES opened at $60.10 on Friday. Eversource Energy has a 1 year low of $54.75 and a 1 year high of $69.01. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $59.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76. The company has a market cap of $22.06 billion, a PE ratio of 26.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.60.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be given a $0.7525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 4th. This is a positive change from Eversource Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.01 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.01%. Eversource Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 130.30%.

Eversource Energy Company 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.