Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) Short Interest Update

Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,390,000 shares, a growth of 8.1% from the March 15th total of 2,210,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,370,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days.

Entergy Stock Down 1.6 %

Entergy stock traded down $1.68 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $100.61. The stock had a trading volume of 1,578,477 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,239,630. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.71. Entergy has a 12-month low of $87.10 and a 12-month high of $109.85. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $102.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.96.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The utilities provider reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.52. The business had revenue of $2.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.27 billion. Entergy had a net margin of 19.41% and a return on equity of 10.54%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.51 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Entergy will post 7.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 2nd will be issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 1st. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.49%. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ETR has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price target on Entergy from $108.00 to $107.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $117.00 price target on shares of Entergy in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Entergy from $110.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $109.78.

Insider Activity at Entergy

In other Entergy news, EVP Marcus V. Brown sold 8,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.84, for a total value of $874,140.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,911 shares in the company, valued at $1,019,247.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Marcus V. Brown sold 8,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.84, for a total transaction of $874,140.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,911 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,019,247.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Deanna D. Rodriguez sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.23, for a total value of $151,845.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $348,433.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,000 shares of company stock worth $1,226,685 in the last three months. 0.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ETR. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Entergy by 64.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,562,369 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $422,019,000 after purchasing an additional 1,787,977 shares during the last quarter. Zimmer Partners LP raised its holdings in shares of Entergy by 16,815.8% during the second quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 1,319,436 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $128,473,000 after purchasing an additional 1,311,636 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Entergy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $127,675,000. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Entergy by 8.1% during the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,122,596 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,415,313,000 after purchasing an additional 908,932 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Confluence Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Entergy during the first quarter valued at approximately $92,257,000. 88.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.