UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for Entergy (NYSE:ETR) Stock Price

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) had its target price hoisted by UBS Group from $86.00 to $96.00 in a research report report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

Several other research firms also recently commented on ETR. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Entergy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.50 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Entergy from $87.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Entergy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Entergy from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Entergy from $79.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $84.75.

Entergy Stock Down 1.1 %

Entergy stock opened at $83.74 on Friday. Entergy has a fifty-two week low of $50.19 and a fifty-two week high of $88.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.72. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $82.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $74.96. The company has a market capitalization of $36.04 billion, a PE ratio of 34.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.68.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.24 billion. Entergy had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 10.68%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.26 EPS. Research analysts expect that Entergy will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.87%. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.77%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Entergy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fortis Group Advisors LLC lifted its position in Entergy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. NBT Bank N A NY raised its holdings in shares of Entergy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 340 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Entergy in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Entergy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 358 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank raised its holdings in shares of Entergy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 358 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. 88.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Entergy Company Profile

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.