Arete Wealth Advisors LLC Acquires Shares of 24,213 Enerplus Co. (NYSE:ERF)

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Enerplus Co. (NYSE:ERF) (TSE:ERF) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 24,213 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $349,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Enerplus in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Bessemer Group Inc. acquired a new position in Enerplus in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in Enerplus in the 1st quarter valued at about $37,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in Enerplus by 323.0% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 3,012 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 2,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC bought a new stake in shares of Enerplus during the third quarter worth approximately $51,000. 56.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Enerplus Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ERF opened at $17.56 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $16.58 and a 200-day moving average of $15.30. Enerplus Co. has a 12 month low of $12.39 and a 12 month high of $19.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.70 billion, a PE ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 2.18.

Enerplus (NYSE:ERF) (TSE:ERF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 9th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.43 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $350.94 million for the quarter. Enerplus had a net margin of 41.72% and a return on equity of 57.30%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Enerplus Co. will post 2.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Enerplus Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 31st were paid a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 30th. This is a positive change from Enerplus’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.01. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.37%. Enerplus’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on ERF shares. TD Securities lifted their price target on Enerplus from $17.50 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 10th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Enerplus from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 10th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of Enerplus from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 8th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Enerplus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $23.57.

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.