Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) Stock Position Lowered by Schroder Investment Management Group

Schroder Investment Management Group trimmed its position in shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) by 21.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 45,066 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 12,196 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in Eversource Energy were worth $2,582,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Eversource Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Eversource Energy by 99.2% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 510 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Eversource Energy by 104.5% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 589 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Eversource Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Eversource Energy by 38.4% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 710 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. 79.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ES. StockNews.com lowered Eversource Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Eversource Energy from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of Eversource Energy in a report on Monday, February 10th. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Eversource Energy from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “sector underperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $67.44.

Insider Activity at Eversource Energy

In related news, insider Frederica M. Williams sold 3,092 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.26, for a total value of $192,507.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 22,671 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,411,496.46. This represents a 12.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Jay S. Buth sold 980 shares of Eversource Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.99, for a total value of $61,730.20. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 24,374 shares in the company, valued at $1,535,318.26. The trade was a 3.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Eversource Energy Price Performance

NYSE:ES opened at $58.48 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market cap of $21.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.31, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $60.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.31. Eversource Energy has a one year low of $54.75 and a one year high of $69.01.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.01. Eversource Energy had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 10.99%. Analysts anticipate that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.7525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 4th. This is a boost from Eversource Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.01 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.15%. Eversource Energy’s payout ratio is currently 130.30%.

About Eversource Energy

Eversource Energy, a public utility holding company, engages in the energy delivery business. The company operates through Electric Distribution, Electric Transmission, Natural Gas Distribution, and Water Distribution segments. It is involved in the transmission and distribution of electricity; solar power facilities; and distribution of natural gas.