Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Has $9.26 Million Stock Position in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its stake in shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE - Free Report) by 8.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 130,635 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 9,866 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.'s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $9,261,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in NextEra Energy by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 205,297,225 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $14,717,758,000 after purchasing an additional 2,090,538 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of NextEra Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $3,484,197,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 43,778,016 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,129,132,000 after buying an additional 1,359,268 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in NextEra Energy by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 23,090,426 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,655,353,000 after purchasing an additional 2,030,331 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in NextEra Energy by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 14,523,786 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,041,210,000 after purchasing an additional 588,038 shares in the last quarter. 78.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NextEra Energy Stock Up 1.2%

NYSE NEE traded up $0.86 on Friday, reaching $74.70. The company had a trading volume of 13,213,340 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,064,661. The company's fifty day moving average is $69.00 and its 200-day moving average is $70.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a current ratio of 0.47. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $61.72 and a 1-year high of $86.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $153.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.68.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.99. NextEra Energy had a net margin of 28.06% and a return on equity of 11.85%. The firm had revenue of $6.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.91 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NextEra Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.5665 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.03%. NextEra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 84.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on NEE shares. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $94.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $89.00 target price on shares of NextEra Energy in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $73.00 to $65.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of NextEra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $84.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Charles E. Sieving sold 23,684 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 196,817 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,777,190. This represents a 10.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.18% 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.