Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) Shares Acquired by Bessemer Group Inc.

Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) by 62.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 14,335 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,514 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc.’s holdings in Eversource Energy were worth $823,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MML Investors Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Eversource Energy by 39.5% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 21,435 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,459,000 after buying an additional 6,069 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in Eversource Energy by 15.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,095,966 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $74,582,000 after acquiring an additional 150,535 shares in the last quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Eversource Energy by 244.9% during the 3rd quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. now owns 21,715 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,478,000 after acquiring an additional 15,419 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its position in Eversource Energy by 32.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 21,358 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,354,000 after acquiring an additional 5,203 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Eversource Energy during the third quarter worth about $277,000. 79.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eversource Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ES opened at $58.49 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.47 billion, a PE ratio of 25.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.58. Eversource Energy has a fifty-two week low of $52.28 and a fifty-two week high of $69.01. 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 stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $60.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.74.

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

Eversource Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This is an increase from Eversource Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $3.01 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.15%. Eversource Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 130.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ES has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Eversource Energy from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Scotiabank dropped 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 research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com upgraded Eversource Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Eversource Energy from $52.00 to $47.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Eversource Energy from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.78.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eversource Energy

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

Eversource Energy Company Profile

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.