Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Has $55.80 Million Position in Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) by 13.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 527,993 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 80,382 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Entergy were worth $55,798,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in Entergy during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors grew its stake in shares of Entergy by 2,172.7% in the 1st quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors now owns 250 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the period. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new stake in shares of Entergy in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Entergy by 40.0% in the 1st quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 385 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Entergy by 134.3% in the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 396 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the period. 88.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Entergy

In other news, insider Haley Fisackerly sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.23, for a total transaction of $165,345.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 2,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $273,260.17. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CAO Reginald T. Jackson sold 9,229 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.71, for a total value of $1,003,284.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $235,465.86. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Haley Fisackerly sold 1,500 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.23, for a total transaction of $165,345.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 2,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $273,260.17. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on ETR shares. Mizuho raised their target price on Entergy from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 31st. KeyCorp raised their target price on Entergy from $112.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 20th. Scotiabank reduced their target price on Entergy from $111.00 to $104.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $109.50 price target (down previously from $117.00) on shares of Entergy in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Entergy from $120.00 to $117.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $113.42.

Entergy Stock Performance

Shares of Entergy stock traded up $2.21 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $113.63. 1,405,502 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,290,799. Entergy Co. has a 12 month low of $87.10 and a 12 month high of $114.28. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $108.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $105.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $24.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.71.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The utilities provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.36). Entergy had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 17.75%. The firm had revenue of $31.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.14 EPS. Entergy’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Entergy Co. will post 7.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.98%. Entergy’s payout ratio is currently 45.34%.

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.