Enerplus (NYSE:ERF) Research Coverage Started at StockNews.com

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Enerplus (NYSE:ERF) (TSE:ERF) in a research note issued to investors on Sunday morning. The firm issued a hold rating on the oil and natural gas company’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. National Bankshares cut their price target on Enerplus from $25.00 to $21.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. TD Securities restated a tender rating and issued a $18.85 price target (down from $21.00) on shares of Enerplus in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. Finally, CIBC dropped their target price on Enerplus from $23.00 to $19.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $21.69.

Enerplus Stock Performance

ERF stock opened at $20.37 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $18.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $16.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a market cap of $4.16 billion, a PE ratio of 9.70 and a beta of 1.99. Enerplus has a 1-year low of $13.46 and a 1-year high of $20.97.

Enerplus (NYSE:ERF) (TSE:ERF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $437.10 million for the quarter. Enerplus had a return on equity of 40.36% and a net margin of 27.67%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Enerplus will post 2.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Enerplus Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This is an increase from Enerplus’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. Enerplus’s payout ratio is 12.38%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Enerplus

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. grew its position in shares of Enerplus by 155.3% in the first quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 30,620 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $390,000 after purchasing an additional 18,625 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Enerplus by 656.1% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 135,638 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $1,723,000 after purchasing an additional 117,700 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Enerplus by 13.0% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 116,659 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $1,481,000 after purchasing an additional 13,430 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Enerplus during the first quarter worth $158,000. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Enerplus in the 1st quarter valued at $138,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.42% of the company’s stock.

Enerplus Company Profile

Enerplus Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, explores and develops crude oil and natural gas in the United States. Its oil and natural gas properties are located primarily in North Dakota, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.