Horizon Investments LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR)

Horizon Investments LLC lifted its stake in Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) by 103.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,884 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,018 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC’s holdings in Entergy were worth $744,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Entergy by 40.7% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 18,597 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,448,000 after purchasing an additional 5,381 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Entergy in the fourth quarter worth $4,393,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Entergy by 74.3% during the 4th quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 7,959 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $603,000 after buying an additional 3,393 shares during the last quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC purchased a new stake in Entergy during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,541,000. Finally, LaFleur & Godfrey LLC bought a new stake in Entergy in the 4th quarter worth $217,000. Institutional investors own 88.07% of the company’s stock.

Entergy Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE ETR opened at $84.75 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $36.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Entergy Corporation has a 1 year low of $50.19 and a 1 year high of $88.38. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $82.59 and a 200 day moving average of $74.73.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.24 billion. Entergy had a return on equity of 10.68% and a net margin of 8.90%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.26 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Entergy Corporation will post 3.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.83%. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on ETR shares. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Entergy from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Entergy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.50 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Entergy from $72.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded Entergy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, December 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Entergy from $79.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $84.11.

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.