Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) Stock Holdings Lessened by Cohen & Steers Inc.

Cohen & Steers Inc. decreased its holdings in Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES - Free Report) by 95.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 82,115 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 1,754,624 shares during the quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc.'s holdings in Eversource Energy were worth $4,716,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Eversource Energy by 33.0% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 40,231 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,306,000 after acquiring an additional 9,981 shares during the last quarter. Verity & Verity LLC acquired a new stake in Eversource Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $744,000. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in Eversource Energy by 41.7% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,735,901 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $99,554,000 after buying an additional 510,582 shares during the period. Everett Harris & Co. CA lifted its position in Eversource Energy by 125.2% during the fourth quarter. Everett Harris & Co. CA now owns 8,093 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $465,000 after buying an additional 4,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Eversource Energy by 12.2% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 73,096 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,198,000 after buying an additional 7,967 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.99% of the company's stock.

Eversource Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ES traded down $0.68 on Friday, reaching $57.38. 3,762,639 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,335,212. Eversource Energy has a fifty-two week low of $52.28 and a fifty-two week high of $69.01. The business's 50-day moving average is $60.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.56. 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 $21.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.84, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.58.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.01. Eversource Energy had a return on equity of 10.99% and a net margin of 6.82%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 EPS for the current year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were paid a $0.7525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $3.01 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.25%. This is a positive change from Eversource Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Eversource Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 130.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Frederica M. Williams sold 3,092 shares of Eversource Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.26, for a total transaction of $192,507.92. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 22,671 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,411,496.46. The trade was a 12.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Jay S. Buth sold 980 shares of the 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 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Eversource Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Scotiabank lowered their target price on 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Eversource Energy from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $65.78.

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.