Enerplus Co. (NYSE:ERF) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Enerplus Co. (NYSE:ERF) (TSE:ERF) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the five ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $17.25.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on ERF shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Enerplus from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 10th. StockNews.com downgraded Enerplus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 16th. Finally, TD Securities boosted their price target on shares of Enerplus from $17.50 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 10th.

Enerplus Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of ERF opened at $17.07 on Thursday. Enerplus has a 1 year low of $12.39 and a 1 year high of $19.23. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $15.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market cap of $3.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 2.17.

Enerplus (NYSE:ERF) (TSE:ERF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 9th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by ($0.04). Enerplus had a net margin of 41.72% and a return on equity of 57.30%. The company had revenue of $350.94 million during the quarter. On average, equities analysts expect that Enerplus will post 2.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Enerplus Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 31st will be issued a $0.06 dividend. This is a boost from Enerplus’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.01. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 30th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. Enerplus’s payout ratio is 5.99%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Enerplus

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Belpointe Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Enerplus in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Bessemer Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Enerplus in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Enerplus in the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Enerplus during the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC purchased a new position in Enerplus during the third quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 56.60% of the company’s stock.

Enerplus Company Profile

Enerplus Corporation, together with subsidiaries, acquires, develops, and explores crude oil and natural gas in the United States. Its oil and natural gas properties are located primarily in North Dakota, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. Enerplus Corporation was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.