Empower Advisory Group LLC Sells 73,472 Shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES)

Empower Advisory Group LLC trimmed its position in Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES - Free Report) by 6.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,102,760 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 73,472 shares during the quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC owned 0.30% of Eversource Energy worth $63,331,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ES. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Eversource Energy in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Eversource Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Eversource Energy by 162.0% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 566 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Eversource Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy by 38.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 710 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.99% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Frederica M. Williams sold 3,092 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was 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 directly owns 22,671 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,411,496.46. This trade represents a 12.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Eversource Energy Price Performance

Eversource Energy stock traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $63.41. The company had a trading volume of 3,830,695 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,167,062. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $58.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $62.54. The company has a market cap of $23.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 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 fifty-two week low of $54.75 and a fifty-two week high of $69.01.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.01. Eversource Energy had a return on equity of 10.99% and a net margin of 6.82%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be issued a $0.7525 dividend. This represents a $3.01 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 4th. This is a positive change from Eversource Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Eversource Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 123.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ES. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target 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. Scotiabank decreased their price target on Eversource Energy from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a "sector underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Eversource Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Eversource Energy in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $67.45.

Eversource Energy Profile

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.