Entergy Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:ETR)

Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Traders bought 2,722 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 171% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,006 call options.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Deanna D. Rodriguez sold 6,088 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.94, for a total value of $450,146.72. Following the sale, 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 SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Haley Fisackerly sold 8,268 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.52, for a total value of $616,090.02. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,032 shares in the company, valued at approximately $300,444.48. The trade was a 67.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,756 shares of company stock worth $1,095,637 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.39% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Entergy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Entergy in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new stake in Entergy in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in Entergy by 423.8% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 220 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. IFS Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Entergy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Coastline Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Entergy in the third quarter worth $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.07% of the company's stock.

Entergy Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of ETR stock traded up $1.50 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $79.06. 3,611,595 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,281,165. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.71. 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 firm's fifty day moving average price is $75.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.36. Entergy has a 52-week low of $48.08 and a 52-week high of $79.34.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.04. The firm 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 company earned $1.64 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Entergy will post 3.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. Entergy's payout ratio is 58.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on ETR shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Entergy from $72.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Entergy from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $58.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Entergy from $72.50 to $82.50 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. StockNews.com raised shares of Entergy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, December 29th. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of Entergy from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $77.00 in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $77.37.

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.