Mariner LLC Has $3.42 Million Stock Holdings in Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES)

Mariner LLC cut its stake in shares of Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 59,545 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,391 shares during the quarter. Mariner LLC’s holdings in Eversource Energy were worth $3,420,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Eversource Energy by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,140,842 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $65,515,000 after acquiring an additional 44,876 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Eversource Energy by 76.8% in the 4th quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 11,017 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $633,000 after purchasing an additional 4,785 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Eversource Energy by 58.6% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 21,306 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,224,000 after purchasing an additional 7,875 shares during the period. Heritage Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Eversource Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,520,000. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in shares of Eversource Energy by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 157,389 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,039,000 after buying an additional 3,900 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.99% of the company’s stock.

Eversource Energy Stock Performance

NYSE ES opened at $56.37 on Tuesday. Eversource Energy has a fifty-two week low of $52.28 and a fifty-two week high of $69.01. The stock has a market cap of $20.69 billion, a PE ratio of 24.40, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $60.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $60.41.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The utilities provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.01. Eversource Energy had a return on equity of 10.99% and a net margin of 6.82%. On average, equities analysts expect that Eversource Energy will post 4.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were paid a dividend of $0.7525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $3.01 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.34%. This is an increase from Eversource Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. Eversource Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 130.30%.

Insider Transactions at Eversource Energy

In related news, insider Frederica M. Williams sold 3,092 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.26, for a total value of $192,507.92. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,671 shares in the company, valued at $1,411,496.46. This represents a 12.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Jay S. Buth sold 980 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.99, for a total transaction of $61,730.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 24,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,535,318.26. The trade was a 3.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Eversource Energy from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Eversource Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Eversource Energy in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their price objective on shares of Eversource Energy from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “sector underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Eversource Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.78.

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.