Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) Shares Acquired by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its holdings in shares of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR - Free Report) by 94.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 783,485 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 381,415 shares during the quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned about 0.18% of Entergy worth $59,404,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hall Laurie J Trustee boosted its stake in shares of Entergy by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. Hall Laurie J Trustee now owns 450 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Entergy by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 29,336 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,224,000 after buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. NBT Bank N A NY increased its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Entergy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 344 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC increased its stake in shares of Entergy by 85.1% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC now owns 374 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. 88.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Entergy Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of ETR traded up $0.92 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $84.20. The company had a trading volume of 3,023,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,307,869. Entergy Corporation has a 1-year low of $51.74 and a 1-year high of $88.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $83.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.07. The stock has a market cap of $36.27 billion, a PE ratio of 34.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.56.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.74 billion for 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.26 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Entergy Corporation will post 3.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. Entergy's dividend payout ratio is presently 98.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ETR has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Entergy from $87.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Entergy from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Entergy from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Entergy from $79.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Entergy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $86.50 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Entergy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.25.

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.