Sterling Capital Management LLC Buys 17,800 Shares of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR)

Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR - Free Report) by 205.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 26,460 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 17,800 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC's holdings in Entergy were worth $2,006,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ETR. NBT Bank N A NY raised its stake in Entergy by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 340 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Entergy by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 344 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. boosted its position in Entergy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 358 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Sandy Spring Bank grew its stake in shares of Entergy by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 358 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Riverview Trust Co grew its position in Entergy by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 364 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.07% of the company's stock.

Entergy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ETR traded up $0.87 during trading on Friday, reaching $83.11. 3,228,172 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,692,924. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $83.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $77.66. Entergy Corporation has a 52-week low of $51.17 and a 52-week high of $88.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.80 billion, a PE ratio of 34.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $2.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.24 billion. Entergy had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 10.68%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.26 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Entergy Corporation will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. Entergy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ETR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on shares of Entergy from $165.00 to $82.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Entergy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Entergy from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Entergy from $86.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Entergy from $79.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Entergy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $85.25.

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.