Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE:AGR) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” from Analysts

Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE:AGR) has been given an average rating of “Reduce” by the four ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have given a hold rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $34.75.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on AGR shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Avangrid from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Avangrid from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of Avangrid in a research report on Friday, March 8th.

Institutional Trading of Avangrid

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its position in shares of Avangrid by 2,285.5% during the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 96,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 92,698 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in Avangrid during the first quarter valued at $36,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Avangrid by 132.5% in the 3rd quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,258 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 717 shares during the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Avangrid in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Quent Capital LLC increased its stake in Avangrid by 31.0% during the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,486 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Avangrid Stock Up 0.2 %

AGR opened at $36.62 on Friday. Avangrid has a 1-year low of $27.46 and a 1-year high of $41.22. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $35.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $32.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a market capitalization of $14.17 billion, a PE ratio of 15.85, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.55.

Avangrid (NYSE:AGR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The utilities provider reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $2.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.54 billion. Avangrid had a return on equity of 4.35% and a net margin of 10.80%. Avangrid’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Avangrid will post 2.23 EPS for the current year.

Avangrid Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 31st. Avangrid’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.19%.

Avangrid Company Profile

Avangrid, Inc, an energy services holding company, engages in the regulated energy transmission and distribution, and renewable energy generation businesses in the United States. The company operates through Networks and Renewables segments. It is involved in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity; and distribution, transportation, and sale of natural gas.