Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) Shares Sold by National Bank of Canada FI

National Bank of Canada FI decreased its position in Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES - Free Report) by 64.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 268,821 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 480,915 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI owned 0.07% of Eversource Energy worth $15,439,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Eversource Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in Eversource Energy by 99.2% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 510 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy by 104.5% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 589 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Eversource Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Eversource Energy by 38.4% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 710 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.99% of the company's stock.

Eversource Energy Price Performance

NYSE ES traded down $1.62 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $54.70. The company's stock had a trading volume of 909,726 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,898,443. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market cap of $20.08 billion, a PE ratio of 23.70, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.58. The company's 50-day moving average is $60.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.98. Eversource Energy has a fifty-two week low of $52.28 and a fifty-two week high of $69.01.

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Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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%. Analysts forecast that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 EPS for the current year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.7525 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. This is an increase from Eversource Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.01 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.50%. Eversource Energy's dividend payout ratio is 130.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Jay S. Buth sold 980 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.99, for a total value 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. This represents a 3.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Frederica M. Williams sold 3,092 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.26, for a total value of $192,507.92. Following the sale, 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. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ES. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an "underweight" rating and issued a $58.00 price objective (down previously from $69.00) on shares of Eversource Energy in a research note on Thursday. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Eversource Energy in a research report on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com cut shares of Eversource Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their target price on Eversource Energy from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a "sector underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $66.50.

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.