Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) Short Interest Update

Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 9,610,000 shares, a growth of 37.7% from the February 13th total of 6,980,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 3,670,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days. Approximately 2.2% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Entergy Stock Down 2.8 %

Shares of ETR stock traded down $2.39 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $83.06. 3,849,860 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,255,198. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.72. The company has a market capitalization of $35.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.68. Entergy has a fifty-two week low of $50.19 and a fifty-two week high of $88.38. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $82.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $74.50.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The utilities provider reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.24 billion. Entergy had a return on equity of 10.68% and a net margin of 8.90%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.26 EPS. Research analysts predict that Entergy will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Entergy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.77%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ETR. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Entergy by 230.9% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 96,526 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,319,000 after acquiring an additional 67,352 shares during the last quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ purchased a new stake in Entergy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $10,389,000. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. bought a new stake in Entergy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $262,000. Anchor Pointe Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Entergy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $241,000. Finally, Aegis Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Entergy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $394,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ETR. Scotiabank dropped their target price on Entergy from $165.00 to $82.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Entergy from $72.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Entergy from $79.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Entergy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.50 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Entergy from $87.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.11.

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.