John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Grows Stake in Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES)

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. raised its position in Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES - Free Report) by 112.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 103,450 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 54,650 shares during the period. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.'s holdings in Eversource Energy were worth $5,941,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 17,777 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,021,000 after purchasing an additional 1,036 shares in the last quarter. Teilinger Capital Ltd. bought a new stake in Eversource Energy during the fourth quarter worth $8,614,000. Versor Investments LP bought a new stake in shares of Eversource Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $706,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Eversource Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $7,691,000. Finally, Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lifted its holdings in Eversource Energy by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 136,189 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $7,821,000 after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.99% of the company's stock.

Eversource Energy Price Performance

NYSE ES traded down $0.92 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $58.83. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,119,638 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,199,881. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.58 billion, a PE ratio of 25.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $58.99 and a 200 day moving average of $62.35. Eversource Energy has a one year low of $54.75 and a one year high of $69.01.

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

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be given a dividend of $0.7525 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 4th. This is a positive change from Eversource Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.01 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.12%. Eversource Energy's dividend payout ratio is 130.30%.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Eversource Energy in a report on Monday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Eversource Energy from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com cut Eversource Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $67.45.

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.