Confluence Wealth Services Inc. Raises Position in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Confluence Wealth Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE - Free Report) by 75.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,559 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 16,148 shares during the period. Confluence Wealth Services Inc.'s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $2,527,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bellwether Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Copia Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 41.3% in the 4th quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 643 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.72% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Charles E. Sieving sold 23,684 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total value of $1,657,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 196,817 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,777,190. This trade represents a 10.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

NextEra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NextEra Energy stock traded down $0.04 on Friday, reaching $70.96. 14,274,070 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,931,900. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $61.72 and a 52 week high of $86.10. The company has a 50 day moving average of $69.99 and a 200 day moving average of $70.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $146.07 billion, a PE ratio of 20.20, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.45.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.99. NextEra Energy had a net margin of 21.81% and a return on equity of 12.06%. The firm had revenue of $6.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.91 EPS. The company's revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current year.

NextEra Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd were issued a $0.5665 dividend. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 2nd. NextEra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 85.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on NEE shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $102.00 to $97.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $73.00 to $65.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $89.00 price objective on shares of NextEra Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, NextEra Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $84.55.

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.