BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. Sells 72,000 Shares of NRG Energy, Inc. $NRG

Key Points

• BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. cut its stake in NRG by 47.4% in Q3, selling 72,000 shares and leaving it with 80,000 shares worth about $12.96 million, while institutional investors hold roughly 97.72% of the stock.
• Significant insider selling has occurred recently — two VPs sold 46,976 and 45,000 shares on Jan. 6 at about $158.8 each, and insiders sold a total of 172,556 shares worth $27.55 million over the past three months (insiders now own 0.61%).
• Analysts hold a Moderate Buy consensus with a $196.33 average target; NRG missed quarterly EPS ($1.04 vs. $1.19) but beat revenue and also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.475 (1.2% yield).

BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. lessened its position in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Free Report) by 47.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 80,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 72,000 shares during the period. BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda.'s holdings in NRG Energy were worth $12,956,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in NRG Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its stake in NRG Energy by 90.4% during the third quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 179 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 32.1% in the second quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 383 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in shares of NRG Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $67,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.72% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Brian Curci sold 46,976 shares of NRG Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.84, for a total value of $7,461,667.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 46,113 shares in the company, valued at $7,324,588.92. This trade represents a 50.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Robert J. Gaudette sold 45,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.76, for a total value of $7,144,200.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 63,920 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,147,939.20. This represents a 41.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 172,556 shares of company stock worth $27,550,446 over the last three months. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group assumed coverage on NRG Energy in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $211.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on NRG Energy from $198.00 to $181.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on NRG Energy in a report on Friday. They set a "buy" rating and a $197.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded NRG Energy from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Monday, February 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, NRG Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $196.33.

NRG Energy Stock Performance

NRG stock opened at $155.44 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $159.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $161.69. NRG Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $79.57 and a fifty-two week high of $189.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.92, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.30 billion, a PE ratio of 39.45 and a beta of 1.26.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by ($0.15). The firm had revenue of $7.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.68 billion. NRG Energy had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 109.48%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.56 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 EPS for the current year.

NRG Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 2nd were issued a $0.475 dividend. This is a positive change from NRG Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 2nd. NRG Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.22%.

NRG Energy Profile

NRG Energy NYSE: NRG is a U.S.-based integrated power company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company develops, owns and operates a diversified portfolio of power generation assets and participates in wholesale and retail energy markets. NRG supplies electricity to utilities, commercial and industrial customers, and retail consumers, while also providing energy-related products and services designed to manage consumption and support reliability.

NRG's generation mix includes conventional thermal plants as well as renewable and distributed energy resources.

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