Enerplus (NYSE:ERF) Coverage Initiated at StockNews.com

Equities research analysts at StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Enerplus (NYSE:ERF) (TSE:ERF) in a research report issued on Sunday. The firm set a “hold” rating on the oil and natural gas company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. CIBC cut their price objective on Enerplus from $23.00 to $19.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. TD Securities reiterated a “tender” rating and issued a $18.85 price target (down previously from $21.00) on shares of Enerplus in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. Finally, National Bankshares dropped their price objective on shares of Enerplus from $25.00 to $21.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Enerplus has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.69.

Enerplus Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:ERF opened at $20.67 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $17.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $16.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. The company has a market capitalization of $4.22 billion, a PE ratio of 9.84 and a beta of 1.99. Enerplus has a 52 week low of $13.46 and a 52 week high of $20.97.

Enerplus (NYSE:ERF) (TSE:ERF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $437.10 million during the quarter. Enerplus had a net margin of 27.67% and a return on equity of 40.36%. Analysts forecast that Enerplus will post 2.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Enerplus

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Enerplus in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $77,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Enerplus by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,475,459 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $130,272,000 after acquiring an additional 1,109,040 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Enerplus by 94.8% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,255,178 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $34,594,000 after acquiring an additional 1,097,412 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky acquired a new position in shares of Enerplus during the 4th quarter worth about $2,622,000. Finally, DRW Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Enerplus in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,301,000. 58.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Enerplus Company Profile

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