First Command Advisory Services Inc. Raises Stock Position in Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR)

First Command Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) by 100.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,616 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 808 shares during the quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Entergy were worth $123,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fortis Group Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Entergy by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 344 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Entergy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Entergy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Ulland Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Entergy by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Ulland Investment Advisors LLC now owns 400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.07% of the company’s stock.

Entergy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ETR opened at $85.26 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. Entergy Corporation has a 12 month low of $49.80 and a 12 month high of $88.38. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $80.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $72.24. The stock has a market cap of $36.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.02, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.72.

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

Entergy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.77%.

Insider Activity at Entergy

In related news, insider Deanna D. Rodriguez sold 6,088 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.94, for a total value of $450,146.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,952 shares in the company, valued at $292,210.88. The trade was a 60.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp downgraded shares of Entergy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price 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. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Entergy from $72.50 to $82.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Entergy from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $58.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Entergy from $165.00 to $82.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Entergy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $82.14.

Entergy 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.