Signaturefd LLC Acquires 1,665 Shares of Enerplus Co. (NYSE:ERF)

Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in Enerplus Co. (NYSE:ERF) (TSE:ERF) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 29,243 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock after buying an additional 1,665 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Enerplus were worth $449,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ERF. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Enerplus in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Enerplus during the third quarter valued at $38,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Enerplus by 356.5% during the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,958 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 2,310 shares during the period. Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in Enerplus during the third quarter valued at $52,000. Finally, C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. bought a new position in Enerplus during the third quarter valued at $179,000. 58.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ERF has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Enerplus in a report on Monday. They set a “hold” rating for the company. National Bankshares reduced their price objective on Enerplus from $25.00 to $21.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. TD Securities reissued a “tender” rating and set a $18.85 price objective (down from $21.00) on shares of Enerplus in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. Finally, CIBC dropped their target price on Enerplus from $23.00 to $19.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Enerplus currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.69.

Enerplus Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ERF opened at $20.33 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $4.15 billion, a PE ratio of 9.68 and a beta of 1.99. Enerplus Co. has a fifty-two week low of $13.46 and a fifty-two week high of $20.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $18.71 and a 200-day moving average of $16.72.

Enerplus (NYSE:ERF) (TSE:ERF) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $437.10 million during the quarter. Enerplus had a return on equity of 40.36% and a net margin of 27.67%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Enerplus Co. will post 2.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Enerplus Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This is a positive change from Enerplus’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.56%. Enerplus’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.38%.

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.