D.A. Davidson & CO. Purchases 3,593 Shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES)

D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its stake in Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) by 16.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 24,910 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,593 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Eversource Energy were worth $1,431,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Eversource Energy in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Eversource Energy in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Eversource Energy by 162.0% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 566 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Eversource Energy by 38.4% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 710 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new stake in Eversource Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. 79.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Eversource Energy

In related news, insider Frederica M. Williams sold 3,092 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.26, for a total value of $192,507.92. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 22,671 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,411,496.46. This trade represents a 12.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of Eversource Energy in a report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays decreased their price target on 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 report on Friday. 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their price target on Eversource Energy from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “sector underperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $67.45.

Eversource Energy Price Performance

ES stock opened at $63.41 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.26 billion, a PE ratio of 27.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.62. The company’s 50-day moving average is $58.19 and its 200-day moving average is $62.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Eversource Energy has a 1 year low of $54.75 and a 1 year high of $69.01.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.01. Eversource Energy had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 10.99%. Equities research analysts expect that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be given a $0.7525 dividend. This is a boost from Eversource Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $3.01 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.75%. Eversource Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 123.81%.

About Eversource Energy

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.