Credit Agricole S A Purchases 3,711 Shares of NRG Energy, Inc. $NRG

Key Points

• Credit Agricole S A increased its stake in NRG Energy by 6.5% in Q1, acquiring 3,711 additional shares, bringing its total holdings to 61,244 shares valued at $5.8 million.
• Wall Street analysts have a positive outlook on NRG Energy, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $186.92, following several upgrades and price objectives set by various research firms.
• NRG Energy recently reported a quarterly EPS of $1.68, missing estimates, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.44, reflecting a yield of 1.2% and a payout ratio of 79.64%.

Credit Agricole S A grew its position in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Free Report) by 6.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 61,244 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,711 shares during the period. Credit Agricole S A's holdings in NRG Energy were worth $5,846,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Key Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Evermay Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 44.0% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 655 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.72% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on NRG. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $195.00 target price for the company. Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $308.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $133.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Melius initiated coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $308.00 price objective for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $167.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, NRG Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $186.92.

NRG Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NRG opened at $144.9380 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $154.93 and a 200-day moving average of $129.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.04 billion, a PE ratio of 65.58, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.99. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.13 and a 12 month high of $175.96.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.72 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $6.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.63 billion. NRG Energy had a net margin of 1.78% and a return on equity of 88.22%. NRG Energy's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.37 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 1st were given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 1st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. NRG Energy's payout ratio is presently 79.64%.

Insider Activity at NRG Energy

In other news, Director Kevin Howell sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.50, for a total value of $7,725,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 55,427 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,563,471.50. The trade was a 47.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.86% of the company's stock.

About NRG Energy

NRG Energy, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy and home services company in the United States and Canada. It operates through Texas; East; West/Services/Other; Vivint Smart Home; and Corporate Activities segments. The company produces and sells electricity generated using coal, oil, solar, and battery storage; natural gas; and a cloud-based home platform, including hardware, software, sales, installation, customer service, technical support, and professional monitoring solutions.

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