Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Boosts Stock Position in NextEra Energy, Inc. $NEE

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors increased its stake in NextEra by 5.7% to 4,678,207 shares (about 0.22% of the company), valued at roughly $353.2 million, as institutional investors now own roughly 78.7% of the stock.
• Company insiders have been selling recently: CEO John W. Ketchum sold 99,603 shares for about $8.9 million (a 24.56% drop in his holding) and insiders sold 159,049 shares worth $14.2 million in the past 90 days.
• NextEra raised its quarterly dividend to $0.6232 (annualized $2.49, ~2.7% yield), and analysts hold a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with an average target price near $94.16.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE - Free Report) by 5.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,678,207 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 252,086 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 0.22% of NextEra Energy worth $353,184,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NEE. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 0.6% in the third quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 19,380 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,463,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. apricus wealth LLC boosted its holdings in NextEra Energy by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. apricus wealth LLC now owns 3,272 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 6,590 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $497,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Fingerlakes Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Fingerlakes Wealth Management Inc. now owns 16,215 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,224,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. now owns 12,320 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $930,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. 78.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at NextEra Energy

In related news, CEO John W. Ketchum sold 99,603 shares of NextEra Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.34, for a total value of $8,898,532.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 305,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,332,054.22. This trade represents a 24.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Charles E. Sieving sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total value of $2,700,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 167,481 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,073,290. The trade was a 15.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 159,049 shares of company stock valued at $14,194,542 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on NEE shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on NextEra Energy from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Argus set a $92.00 price target on NextEra Energy and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. HSBC raised their price objective on NextEra Energy from $96.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. BMO Capital Markets set a $95.00 target price on shares of NextEra Energy in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $103.00 price target on shares of NextEra Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $94.16.

NextEra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NextEra Energy stock opened at $91.05 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $189.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.67 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The business has a 50-day moving average of $87.06 and a 200 day moving average of $82.17. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $61.72 and a 12 month high of $95.91.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The utilities provider reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.01. NextEra Energy had a net margin of 24.93% and a return on equity of 12.18%. The company had revenue of $6.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.53 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 20.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current year.

NextEra Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a $0.6232 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $2.49 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from NextEra Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. NextEra Energy's dividend payout ratio is 75.68%.

NextEra Energy Profile

NextEra Energy, Inc NYSE: NEE, headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida, is a leading clean energy company with both regulated utility operations and competitive renewable generation businesses. The company's principal operating subsidiaries include Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), a regulated electric utility serving customers in Florida, and NextEra Energy Resources, which develops, constructs, owns and operates a large portfolio of wind, solar and energy storage projects. Together these businesses provide electricity supply, transmission and distribution services as well as utility-scale renewable generation and related services.

NextEra's activities cover the full lifecycle of power assets, from project development and construction to operation, maintenance and asset optimization.

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