Enerplus (NYSE:ERF) Coverage Initiated at StockNews.com

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Enerplus (NYSE:ERF) (TSE:ERF) in a report issued on Sunday. The firm set a “hold” rating on the oil and natural gas company’s stock.

ERF has been the subject of several other reports. CIBC decreased their price objective on shares of Enerplus from $23.00 to $19.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. TD Securities restated a “tender” rating and set a $18.85 target price (down previously from $21.00) on shares of Enerplus in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. Finally, National Bankshares lowered their price target on Enerplus from $25.00 to $21.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.69.

Enerplus Price Performance

Shares of Enerplus stock opened at $20.47 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $18.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.58. Enerplus has a twelve month low of $13.46 and a twelve month high of $20.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.75 and a beta of 1.99.

Enerplus (NYSE:ERF) (TSE:ERF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.01. Enerplus had a return on equity of 40.36% and a net margin of 27.67%. The business had revenue of $437.10 million for the quarter. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Enerplus will post 2.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Enerplus

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Enerplus in the fourth quarter worth $1,550,000. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. grew its holdings in Enerplus by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. now owns 30,000 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $529,000 after acquiring an additional 2,580 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in shares of Enerplus by 7,592.3% in the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,092,996 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $19,270,000 after purchasing an additional 1,078,787 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Enerplus by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,366,419 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $130,050,000 after purchasing an additional 1,164,478 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Enerplus by 28.9% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,024,995 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $18,036,000 after purchasing an additional 230,048 shares during the last quarter. 58.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Enerplus Company Profile

Enerplus Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, explores and develops crude oil and natural gas in the United States. Its oil and natural gas properties are located primarily in North Dakota, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.