Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) Short Interest Up 9.0% in September

Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 3,380,000 shares, a growth of 9.0% from the September 15th total of 3,100,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,650,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days.

Entergy Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:ETR traded up $0.33 on Thursday, hitting $134.65. 1,071,761 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,562,740. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $124.96 and its 200 day moving average is $114.40. The company has a market capitalization of $28.75 billion, a PE ratio of 13.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.74. Entergy has a 1-year low of $90.78 and a 1-year high of $135.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.98 billion. Entergy had a return on equity of 10.10% and a net margin of 14.75%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.84 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Entergy will post 7.22 EPS for the current year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 13th were given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.34%.

Insider Transactions at Entergy

In other Entergy news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $388,672.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 150,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,307,787.26. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Entergy news, CEO Andrew S. Marsh sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $388,672.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 150,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,307,787.26. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Peter S. Norgeot, Jr. sold 11,472 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.16, for a total value of $1,321,115.52. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 37,888 shares in the company, valued at $4,363,182.08. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,810 shares of company stock valued at $6,140,626 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Entergy

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Entergy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors raised its stake in Entergy by 2,172.7% during the 1st quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors now owns 250 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. American National Bank raised its stake in Entergy by 93.7% during the 2nd quarter. American National Bank now owns 277 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Entergy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in Entergy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 88.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ETR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Argus upgraded Entergy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Entergy from $143.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Entergy from $115.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Entergy from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Entergy from $131.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $130.96.

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.