Entergy (NYSE:ETR) Share Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report)'s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $65.38 and traded as high as $76.64. Entergy shares last traded at $75.21, with a volume of 2,733,074 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Guggenheim raised their price target on Entergy from $72.50 to $82.50 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Entergy from $72.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Entergy from $83.00 to $79.50 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Entergy from $68.50 to $85.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, KeyCorp cut Entergy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $77.37.

Entergy Stock Up 0.9 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $32.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $74.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.38.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $3.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.46 billion. Entergy had a net margin of 14.83% and a return on equity of 9.53%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.64 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Entergy Corporation will post 3.61 EPS for the current year.

Entergy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. Entergy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.39%.

Insider Transactions at Entergy

In related news, insider Deanna D. Rodriguez sold 6,088 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $292,210.88. The trade was a 60.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Eliecer Viamontes sold 400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.50, for a total value of $29,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,346 shares of the company's stock, valued at $613,431. The trade was a 4.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 14,756 shares of company stock worth $1,095,637. 0.39% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Entergy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ETR. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Entergy by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,427 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $451,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Entergy by 0.8% in the third quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC now owns 8,836 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,163,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Entergy by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 8,087 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,065,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Entergy by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 795 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prossimo Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Entergy by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Prossimo Advisors LLC now owns 5,971 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $786,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. 88.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.