Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) Stock Position Raised by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR - Free Report) by 40.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,597 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 5,381 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Entergy were worth $2,448,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Entergy by 47.1% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,479,044 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $693,260,000 after purchasing an additional 2,075,776 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its position in shares of Entergy by 64.2% during the 1st quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,170,045 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $440,690,000 after acquiring an additional 1,630,057 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Entergy by 185.5% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,876,672 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $200,804,000 after buying an additional 1,219,419 shares during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC increased its holdings in shares of Entergy by 12.4% during the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 6,926,492 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $741,135,000 after buying an additional 763,834 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Entergy by 89.2% during the 2nd quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,073,603 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $114,876,000 after buying an additional 506,239 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.07% of the company's stock.

Entergy Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of Entergy stock traded up $1.51 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $151.40. 688,142 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,608,969. Entergy Co. has a 1 year low of $96.15 and a 1 year high of $156.85. The stock's fifty day moving average is $136.12 and its 200 day moving average is $120.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market cap of $32.46 billion, a PE ratio of 18.25, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.71.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $2.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $3.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.46 billion. Entergy had a return on equity of 9.53% and a net margin of 14.83%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.27 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Entergy Co. will post 7.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Entergy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be given a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.17%. This is an increase from Entergy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. Entergy's payout ratio is presently 58.47%.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Peter S. Norgeot, Jr. sold 3,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.56, for a total transaction of $398,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 34,993 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,288,742.08. This represents a 8.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.03, for a total transaction of $72,018.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 150,731 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,092,241.93. This represents a 0.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 40,472 shares of company stock worth $5,076,328. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on ETR. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Entergy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Entergy from $131.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Entergy from $143.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Entergy from $119.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Entergy from $137.00 to $152.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Five 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $150.42.

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.