Banco Santander S.A. Purchases 25,805 Shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Key Points

• Banco Santander S.A. has increased its position in NextEra Energy, Inc. by 57%, purchasing an additional 25,805 shares to reach a total of 71,068 shares, valued at approximately $5.038 million.
• NextEra Energy recently reported a quarterly EPS of $1.05, exceeding the consensus estimate of $1.01, despite revenue of $6.70 billion falling short of the projected $7.52 billion.
• The current consensus rating for NextEra Energy stock is a "Moderate Buy", with a target price averaging $84.42, despite several analysts adjusting their target prices downward.

Banco Santander S.A. increased its position in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE - Free Report) by 57.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 71,068 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 25,805 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.'s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $5,038,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NEE. Bellwether Advisors LLC bought a new position in NextEra Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. IMA Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in NextEra Energy during the first quarter worth $35,000. Copia Wealth Management purchased a new stake in NextEra Energy during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in NextEra Energy by 237.7% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 520 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 366 shares during the period. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in NextEra Energy during the first quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors own 78.72% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NEE has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. HSBC lowered their target price on NextEra Energy from $88.00 to $86.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 11th. Erste Group Bank lowered NextEra Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on NextEra Energy from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on NextEra Energy from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on NextEra Energy from $102.00 to $97.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, NextEra Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $84.42.

NextEra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NEE opened at $70.41 on Friday. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $61.72 and a 12 month high of $86.10. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $72.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $70.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The firm has a market cap of $144.99 billion, a PE ratio of 24.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.63.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.04. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 12.31% and a net margin of 22.84%. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.96 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NextEra Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 28th will be given a $0.5665 dividend. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 28th. NextEra Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 79.37%.

Insider Activity at NextEra Energy

In related news, EVP Robert Coffey sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.84, for a total value of $538,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 26,539 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,906,561.76. This represents a 22.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Treasurer James Michael May sold 2,177 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.50, for a total value of $168,717.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the treasurer directly owned 27,662 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,143,805. The trade was a 7.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 33,361 shares of company stock valued at $2,365,398 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

NextEra Energy Profile

NextEra Energy, Inc, through its subsidiaries, generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power to retail and wholesale customers in North America. The company generates electricity through wind, solar, nuclear,natural gas, and other clean energy. It also develops, constructs, and operates long-term contracted assets that consists of clean energy solutions, such as renewable generation facilities, battery storage projects, and electric transmission facilities; sells energy commodities; and owns, develops, constructs, manages and operates electric generation facilities in wholesale energy markets.

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