Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) Shares Bought by Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR - Free Report) by 147.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 257,597 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 153,405 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC owned 0.06% of Entergy worth $19,423,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in shares of Entergy by 21.4% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 986,546 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $129,840,000 after purchasing an additional 174,093 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Entergy by 40.7% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 18,597 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,448,000 after acquiring an additional 5,381 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Entergy by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 280,262 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $36,885,000 after acquiring an additional 10,697 shares during the period. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd increased its position in shares of Entergy by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd now owns 97,218 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $12,795,000 after acquiring an additional 9,986 shares during the period. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Entergy by 74.3% in the 4th quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 7,959 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $603,000 after acquiring an additional 3,393 shares during the period. 88.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ETR shares. Guggenheim upped their target price on Entergy from $72.50 to $82.50 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Mizuho upped their target price on Entergy from $69.00 to $82.50 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com raised Entergy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, December 29th. Scotiabank cut their target price on Entergy from $165.00 to $82.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of Entergy from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price target for the company from $69.00 to $77.00 in a report on Monday, November 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $82.14.

Insider Activity at Entergy

In related news, insider Deanna D. Rodriguez sold 6,088 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.94, for a total value of $450,146.72. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $292,210.88. This trade represents a 60.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Entergy Price Performance

Shares of ETR stock traded down $1.51 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $85.82. 4,006,552 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,811,516. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $79.01 and a 200 day moving average of $71.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. Entergy Corporation has a 52-week low of $49.80 and a 52-week high of $88.38. The company has a market cap of $36.80 billion, a PE ratio of 35.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.72.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.03. Entergy had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 10.75%. The business had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.26 EPS. Research analysts anticipate 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. Entergy's payout ratio is currently 98.77%.

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.