CENTRAL TRUST Co Sells 549 Shares of Evergy, Inc. (NYSE:EVRG)

CENTRAL TRUST Co reduced its position in Evergy, Inc. (NYSE:EVRG) by 10.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,891 shares of the company’s stock after selling 549 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Evergy were worth $303,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Evergy by 12.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,688 shares of the company’s stock worth $539,000 after purchasing an additional 950 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Evergy in the third quarter worth $1,330,000. Greenleaf Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Evergy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $214,000. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its position in Evergy by 3.6% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 14,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $868,000 after purchasing an additional 481 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in Evergy during the 3rd quarter valued at $246,000. 87.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Evergy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EVRG opened at $60.77 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $60.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.47. Evergy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $47.97 and a 52 week high of $62.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.62.

Evergy (NYSE:EVRG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 9th. The company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.32 billion. Evergy had a return on equity of 8.50% and a net margin of 13.12%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.81 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Evergy, Inc. will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Evergy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 20th were given a dividend of $0.6425 per share. This represents a $2.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 20th. Evergy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 80.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Evergy news, Director Ann D. Murtlow sold 3,301 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.85, for a total value of $194,263.85. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,847 shares in the company, valued at $167,545.95. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Charles A. Caisley sold 9,236 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.63, for a total transaction of $550,742.68. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 33,425 shares in the company, valued at $1,993,132.75. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Ann D. Murtlow sold 3,301 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.85, for a total value of $194,263.85. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $167,545.95. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,884 shares of company stock worth $941,810 in the last quarter. 0.47% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Evergy from $65.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays cut their price target on Evergy from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Evergy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $70.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Evergy to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $61.14.

Evergy Company Profile

Evergy, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity in the United States. The company generates electricity through coal, landfill gas, uranium, and natural gas and oil sources, as well as solar, wind, other renewable sources. It serves residences, commercial firms, industrials, municipalities, and other electric utilities.