Entergy (NYSE:ETR) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $114.07 and last traded at $113.72, with a volume of 3023404 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $112.36.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on ETR shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Entergy from $105.00 to $119.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Citigroup raised their price target on Entergy from $106.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Entergy from $113.00 to $108.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered Entergy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Entergy from $112.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $109.17.

Entergy Trading Up 1.2%

The stock has a market cap of $52.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.64. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $102.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $97.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.51.

Entergy (NYSE:ETR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The utilities provider reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($0.01). Entergy had a net margin of 13.66% and a return on equity of 10.89%. The company had revenue of $2.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. Entergy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.250-4.450 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Entergy Corporation will post 3.88 EPS for the current year.

Entergy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were given a $0.64 dividend. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. Entergy’s payout ratio is currently 65.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Entergy news, EVP John C. Dinelli sold 5,372 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.95, for a total transaction of $558,419.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,609 shares in the company, valued at $2,454,155.55. This trade represents a 18.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Entergy

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Entergy by 275.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,176 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $696,000 after purchasing an additional 6,733 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in Entergy by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 36,228 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,097,000 after purchasing an additional 10,476 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its position in Entergy by 1.6% during the second quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 177,690 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $14,770,000 after purchasing an additional 2,786 shares during the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Entergy by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 13,765 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,144,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Entergy by 10.3% in the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,723 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. 88.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Entergy Company Profile

Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) is an integrated energy company headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, that generates, transmits and distributes electricity. The company’s operations combine regulated utility services with competitive power production, supplying retail electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers while also participating in wholesale energy markets. Entergy’s generation fleet includes nuclear, natural gas, hydropower and other resources, and it operates a network of transmission and distribution assets to deliver power to end users.

Entergy conducts its regulated utility business through state-based operating subsidiaries that serve customers across parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and southeast Texas.