Enerplus (NYSE:ERF) Now Covered by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Enerplus (NYSE:ERF) (TSE:ERF) in a report issued on Tuesday. The firm issued a hold rating on the oil and natural gas company’s stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Enerplus from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating and upped their price objective for the company from $21.00 to $22.00 in a research note on Monday, April 29th. CIBC reduced their price objective on shares of Enerplus from $23.00 to $19.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. National Bankshares lowered their target price on Enerplus from $25.00 to $21.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. Finally, TD Securities reiterated a tender rating and issued a $18.85 price target (down previously from $21.00) on shares of Enerplus in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Enerplus currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $21.69.

Enerplus Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ERF opened at $19.57 on Tuesday. Enerplus has a one year low of $13.46 and a one year high of $20.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company has a market cap of $4.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.32 and a beta of 1.97. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $16.88.

Enerplus (NYSE:ERF) (TSE:ERF) last announced 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 during the quarter. Enerplus had a return on equity of 40.36% and a net margin of 27.67%. Research analysts predict that Enerplus will post 1.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Enerplus Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.66%. This is an increase from Enerplus’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. Enerplus’s payout ratio is currently 12.38%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Enerplus

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ERF. Albert D Mason Inc. grew its position in shares of Enerplus by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 44,409 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $873,000 after buying an additional 621 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its holdings in Enerplus by 15.6% in the first quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 5,543 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares during the period. Tacita Capital Inc increased its stake in Enerplus by 2.6% in the third quarter. Tacita Capital Inc now owns 30,835 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $544,000 after purchasing an additional 770 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Enerplus by 8.4% during the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 13,647 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in shares of Enerplus by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 29,243 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $449,000 after purchasing an additional 1,665 shares in the last quarter. 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.