Baird Financial Group Inc. Has $77.98 Million Stock Position in NextEra Energy, Inc. $NEE

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group increased its NextEra Energy stake by 3.1% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 888,425 shares valued at approximately $77.98 million. Institutional investors collectively own 78.72% of NEE.
• NextEra secured a DOE loan of up to $1.9 billion to support the restart of Iowa’s 615-megawatt Duane Arnold nuclear plant, targeted for the first quarter of 2029. The project could benefit from rising electricity demand but remains subject to regulatory and execution risks.
• Despite a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and average analyst price target of $100.33, NEE traded below its major moving averages at $82.76. The company reported quarterly EPS of $1.15, declared a $0.6232 quarterly dividend, and offers an annualized yield of about 3.0%.

Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE - Free Report) by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 888,425 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 26,299 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $77,977,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NEE. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in NextEra Energy by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 28,282 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,028,000 after purchasing an additional 1,840 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in NextEra Energy by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,854 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $348,000 after buying an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 38.4% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 12,542 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $887,000 after buying an additional 3,479 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 18.1% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,563 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 852 shares in the last quarter. Finally, United Bank boosted its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 15,596 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,083,000 after buying an additional 444 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.72% of the company's stock.

NextEra Energy News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting NextEra Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: NextEra and the U.S. Department of Energy reached financial close on a loan of up to $1.9 billion to support the restart of Iowa’s 615-megawatt Duane Arnold Energy Center. The plant is targeted to return to service in the first quarter of 2029, subject to regulatory approvals, potentially adding reliable power for roughly 500,000 homes and positioning NEE to benefit from rising electricity demand tied to data centers and artificial intelligence. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: The DOE financing reduces funding uncertainty for the nuclear restart and could support NextEra’s long-term earnings and rate-base growth. The project is also expected to create construction and permanent operating jobs. NextEra press release
• Neutral Sentiment: Senior management will meet with investors throughout September and early October to discuss long-term growth expectations. These meetings could provide updated guidance or additional detail on the nuclear project and broader capital plans. NextEra investor meetings announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the favorable DOE announcement, NEE remained under pressure. Utilities are sensitive to Treasury yields and Federal Reserve expectations, while upcoming inflation and interest-rate data may be encouraging investors to reduce exposure to defensive, dividend-oriented stocks. The stock is also trading below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, indicating continued technical weakness.
• Negative Sentiment: The Duane Arnold restart still faces Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing, inspection and environmental approvals, as well as construction and execution risks. The financing announcement therefore improves the project’s prospects but does not guarantee the 2029 restart or immediate earnings growth.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America reduced their target price on NextEra Energy from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 13th. Mizuho set a $95.00 price target on NextEra Energy in a report on Monday, July 27th. Morgan Stanley set a $114.00 price objective on NextEra Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Erste Group Bank lowered NextEra Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on NextEra Energy from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $100.33.

NextEra Energy Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE:NEE opened at $82.76 on Thursday. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $69.37 and a 12 month high of $98.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The firm's 50 day moving average is $86.29 and its 200 day moving average is $89.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $172.63 billion, a PE ratio of 18.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.65.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The utilities provider reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.04. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 12.28% and a net margin of 32.40%.The business had revenue of $7.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.05 earnings per share. NextEra Energy's revenue was up 12.4% compared to the same quarter last year. NextEra Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.920-4.020 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current year.

NextEra Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.6232 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 28th. This represents a $2.49 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. NextEra Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 55.96%.

NextEra Energy Company Profile

NextEra Energy, Inc is an electric power and energy infrastructure company headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida. Through its principal subsidiary, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), it generates, transmits, distributes and sells electricity to customers in Florida. FPL serves residential, commercial and industrial customers across much of the state.

Through NextEra Energy Resources, the company develops, owns and operates power-generation and storage projects in the United States and Canada.

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