Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) Shares Acquired by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR - Free Report) by 4.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 280,262 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 10,697 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.13% of Entergy worth $36,885,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in shares of Entergy by 423.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 220 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new position in Entergy during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Entergy during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors lifted its position in Entergy by 2,172.7% during the first quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors now owns 250 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American National Bank lifted its position in Entergy by 93.7% during the second quarter. American National Bank now owns 277 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. 88.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on ETR. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Entergy from $146.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. StockNews.com upgraded Entergy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Argus upgraded Entergy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Entergy from $137.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price target on Entergy from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $150.96.

Insider Activity at Entergy

In related news, insider Eliecer Viamontes sold 200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.00, for a total value of $29,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,173 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $613,431. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Entergy news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 19,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.35, for a total value of $2,310,720.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 150,731 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,140,475.85. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Eliecer Viamontes sold 200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.00, for a total transaction of $29,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 4,173 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $613,431. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 36,338 shares of company stock valued at $4,460,238 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.39% of the company's stock.

Entergy Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE ETR traded down $0.64 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $149.71. 1,016,422 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,608,859. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $132.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $119.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. Entergy Co. has a 52 week low of $94.85 and a 52 week high of $156.85. The stock has a market cap of $32.10 billion, a PE ratio of 18.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.71.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $2.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $3.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.27 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Entergy Co. will post 7.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This is an increase from Entergy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.21%. Entergy's dividend payout ratio is presently 55.05%.

About Entergy

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.