Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Has $804,000 Holdings in Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR)

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Entergy Co. (NYSE:ETR) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,945 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Entergy were worth $804,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ETR. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Entergy by 2.7% in the first quarter. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,269 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $382,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in Entergy by 15.5% during the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 739 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Smith Moore & CO. increased its position in Entergy by 3.1% in the first quarter. Smith Moore & CO. now owns 3,339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $360,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Alliance raised its stake in shares of Entergy by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 8,201 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $830,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, Marino Stram & Associates LLC raised its stake in Entergy by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 5,778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $585,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. 88.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Entergy

In other Entergy news, EVP Kimberly Cook-Nelson sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.35, for a total transaction of $200,700.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,037 shares in the company, valued at $1,609,312.95. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Entergy news, EVP Kimberly Cook-Nelson sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.35, for a total transaction of $200,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,037 shares in the company, valued at $1,609,312.95. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Marcus V. Brown sold 8,500 shares of Entergy stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.84, for a total value of $874,140.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,911 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,019,247.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 12,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,226,685. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Entergy Stock Performance

Shares of ETR opened at $106.77 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $102.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $100.27. The company has a market cap of $22.77 billion, a PE ratio of 9.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.71. Entergy Co. has a 12-month low of $87.10 and a 12-month high of $109.70.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The utilities provider reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.52. The business had revenue of $2.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 business posted $0.51 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Entergy Co. will post 7.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 1st. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.23%. Entergy’s payout ratio is 40.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Entergy from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Entergy from $110.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Barclays cut their target price on Entergy from $108.00 to $107.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $117.00 price target on shares of Entergy in a research report on Monday, February 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $110.00.

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.