Meritage Portfolio Management Lowers Stock Position in Evergy Inc. $EVRG

Meritage Portfolio Management reduced its stake in Evergy Inc. (NASDAQ:EVRG) by 89.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,321 shares of the company’s stock after selling 37,027 shares during the quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management’s holdings in Evergy were worth $313,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Evergy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Evergy by 1,310.3% in the third quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 409 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares in the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Evergy in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Evergy in the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, TOWER TRUST & INVESTMENT Co purchased a new stake in Evergy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 87.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Evergy Trading Down 0.9%

EVRG stock opened at $79.64 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $18.34 billion, a PE ratio of 21.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.61. Evergy Inc. has a one year low of $63.29 and a one year high of $85.27. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $81.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.49.

Evergy (NASDAQ:EVRG) last issued its earnings results on Saturday, January 31st. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Evergy had a net margin of 14.35% and a return on equity of 8.79%. As a group, analysts predict that Evergy Inc. will post 4.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Evergy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were issued a $0.695 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $2.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Evergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 75.75%.

Insider Transactions at Evergy

In other news, SVP Heather A. Humphrey sold 3,650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.61, for a total value of $301,526.50. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 44,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,635,418.27. This trade represents a 7.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ann D. Murtlow sold 2,847 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.34, for a total transaction of $234,421.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,311 shares in the company, valued at $190,287.74. This represents a 55.20% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,937 shares of company stock worth $736,492. Insiders own 1.52% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on EVRG. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Evergy from $89.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Evergy from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Evergy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. Mizuho set a $82.00 price target on shares of Evergy in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Evergy from $82.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.30.

About Evergy

Evergy, Inc is a regulated electric utility that generates, transmits and distributes electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers primarily across Kansas and western Missouri. The company provides core utility services including retail electric delivery, grid operations, customer service and outage restoration, operating under state regulatory frameworks. Evergy serves a mix of urban and rural communities, including portions of the Kansas City metropolitan area and other population centers in its service territory.

The company’s business activities span power generation, system planning, transmission and distribution infrastructure, and customer-facing programs such as energy efficiency and demand-side management.