Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Hold" by the twelve analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $67.45.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Eversource Energy from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays lowered their price target on Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Eversource Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday.

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Eversource Energy Trading Up 0.3 %

Eversource Energy stock traded up $0.16 during trading on Friday, hitting $63.17. The company had a trading volume of 1,471,959 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,197,074. The stock has a market cap of $23.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. Eversource Energy has a 1-year low of $54.75 and a 1-year high of $69.01. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $58.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $62.42.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.01. Eversource Energy had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 10.99%. As a group, analysts expect that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.7525 per share. This is an increase from Eversource Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $3.01 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.76%. Eversource Energy's dividend payout ratio is 130.30%.

Insider Activity at Eversource Energy

In other Eversource Energy news, insider Frederica M. Williams sold 3,092 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.26, for a total transaction of $192,507.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 22,671 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,411,496.46. This represents a 12.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Jay S. Buth sold 980 shares of Eversource Energy stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.99, for a total transaction of $61,730.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 24,374 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,535,318.26. The trade was a 3.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Eversource Energy

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ES. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in Eversource Energy by 2.8% in the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 6,147 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $418,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in Eversource Energy by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,855 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $107,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Eversource Energy by 38.4% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 710 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Eversource Energy by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 20,100 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,368,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Trail Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eversource Energy by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 4,893 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $281,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. 79.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.