Frederica M. Williams Sells 3,092 Shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) Stock

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) insider Frederica M. Williams sold 3,092 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.26, for a total transaction of $192,507.92. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,671 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,411,496.46. This trade represents a 12.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Eversource Energy Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE ES traded up $0.69 during trading on Thursday, hitting $63.39. The company had a trading volume of 3,294,079 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,146,954. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. Eversource Energy has a one year low of $54.75 and a one year high of $69.01. The company has a market cap of $23.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.62. The company’s fifty day moving average is $58.04 and its 200-day moving average is $62.55.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.01. Eversource Energy had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 11.04%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be given a $0.7525 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 4th. This is an increase from Eversource Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $3.01 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.75%. Eversource Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 130.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on ES shares. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Eversource Energy from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Scotiabank lowered their price target on shares of Eversource Energy from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “sector underperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Eversource Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $67.45.

Institutional Trading of Eversource Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ES. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Eversource Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Eversource Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in shares of Eversource Energy by 99.2% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 510 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Eversource Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Eversource Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. 79.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Eversource Energy

Eversource Energy, a public utility holding company, engages in the energy delivery business. The company operates through Electric Distribution, Electric Transmission, Natural Gas Distribution, and Water Distribution segments. It is involved in the transmission and distribution of electricity; solar power facilities; and distribution of natural gas.