StockNews.com Upgrades Entergy (NYSE:ETR) to "Hold"

Entergy (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Sunday.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on ETR. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Entergy from $68.50 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Entergy from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $58.00 to $75.00 in a report on Monday, November 4th. Barclays raised their price target on Entergy from $68.50 to $76.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Entergy from $69.00 to $82.50 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on Entergy from $72.50 to $82.50 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Six equities 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $77.40.

Entergy Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of ETR traded down $0.18 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $75.76. The stock had a trading volume of 1,429,209 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,229,882. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $73.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $64.42. The company has a market cap of $32.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.46, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.71. Entergy has a 1-year low of $48.08 and a 1-year high of $79.04.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Entergy

In related news, insider Haley Fisackerly sold 8,268 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.52, for a total transaction of $616,090.02. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,032 shares in the company, valued at $300,444.48. This trade represents a 67.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $450,146.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at $292,210.88. This trade represents a 60.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,756 shares of company stock valued at $1,095,637 in the last 90 days. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Entergy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Entergy by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,408,776 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,501,509,000 after buying an additional 128,667 shares during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 763,834 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in Entergy by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,613,647 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $870,422,000 after purchasing an additional 315,750 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Entergy by 47.1% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,479,044 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $693,260,000 after buying an additional 2,075,776 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Entergy by 53.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,718,859 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $754,318,000 after acquiring an additional 1,981,611 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.07% of the company's stock.

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.