National Pension Service Sells 43,174 Shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES)

National Pension Service trimmed its position in shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 481,305 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 43,174 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in Eversource Energy were worth $27,641,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Eversource Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Eversource Energy in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Eversource Energy in the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Eversource Energy by 104.5% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 589 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 301 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Eversource Energy by 162.0% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 566 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 350 shares during the period. 79.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Scotiabank reduced their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “sector underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Eversource Energy in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $67.45.

Insider Transactions at Eversource Energy

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

Eversource Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:ES opened at $63.01 on Friday. Eversource Energy has a 12-month low of $54.75 and a 12-month high of $69.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.11 billion, a PE ratio of 27.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.62. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $58.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.45.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.7525 per share. This is a positive change from Eversource Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $3.01 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.78%. Eversource Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 130.30%.

About Eversource Energy

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.