Entergy (NYSE:ETR) Upgraded to Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley

Entergy (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has a $150.00 price objective on the utilities provider's stock, up from their prior price objective of $116.00. Morgan Stanley's target price suggests a potential upside of 5.31% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Entergy from $143.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Entergy from $131.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Entergy from $146.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Entergy from $143.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Entergy from $135.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Entergy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $149.81.

Entergy Trading Down 1.6 %

ETR stock traded down $2.36 during trading on Monday, reaching $142.43. 2,915,811 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,605,298. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $130.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $117.60. Entergy has a 1 year low of $94.85 and a 1 year high of $156.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.71.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $2.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.08. Entergy had a return on equity of 9.53% and a net margin of 14.83%. The company had revenue of $3.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.27 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Entergy will post 7.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Eliecer Viamontes sold 5,166 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $619,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,117 shares of the company's stock, valued at $614,040. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Eliecer Viamontes sold 5,166 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $619,920.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 5,117 shares in the company, valued at approximately $614,040. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Peter S. Norgeot, Jr. sold 7,922 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $1,029,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,993 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,549,090. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 47,610 shares of company stock worth $5,751,954. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Entergy

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ETR. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System grew its position in Entergy by 6.3% during the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 234,595 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,275,000 after purchasing an additional 13,882 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in Entergy by 55.4% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 14,877 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,571,000 after acquiring an additional 5,303 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Entergy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,245,000. Cetera Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Entergy by 145.2% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 24,136 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,551,000 after purchasing an additional 14,293 shares during the last quarter. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Entergy by 17.5% in the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 41,605 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,397,000 after purchasing an additional 6,197 shares during the period. 88.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.