Natixis Sells 44,892 Shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES)

Natixis reduced its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES - Free Report) by 18.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 192,407 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 44,892 shares during the period. Natixis owned 0.05% of Eversource Energy worth $11,050,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ES. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Eversource Energy by 33.0% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 40,231 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,306,000 after purchasing an additional 9,981 shares in the last quarter. Verity & Verity LLC bought a new stake in Eversource Energy in the fourth quarter worth $744,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of Eversource Energy by 41.7% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,735,901 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $99,554,000 after acquiring an additional 510,582 shares during the last quarter. Everett Harris & Co. CA increased its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy by 125.2% during the fourth quarter. Everett Harris & Co. CA now owns 8,093 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $465,000 after acquiring an additional 4,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Eversource Energy by 12.2% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 73,096 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,198,000 after purchasing an additional 7,967 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.99% of the company's stock.

Eversource Energy Stock Performance

Shares of ES traded up $0.67 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $58.63. The stock had a trading volume of 2,286,316 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,335,441. Eversource Energy has a 12 month low of $52.28 and a 12 month high of $69.01. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $59.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.38. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $21.52 billion, a PE ratio of 25.38, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.58.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts anticipate that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 EPS for the current year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were paid a $0.7525 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. This is a boost from Eversource Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.01 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.13%. Eversource Energy's dividend payout ratio is 130.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on ES shares. Scotiabank cut their price objective on shares of 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. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Eversource Energy in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded Eversource Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Eversource Energy from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $65.78.

Insider Activity

In other Eversource Energy news, insider Frederica M. Williams sold 3,092 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Jay S. Buth sold 980 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now 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. Insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

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.