Financial Counselors Inc. Acquires 96,164 Shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Financial Counselors Inc. raised its stake in shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE - Free Report) by 86.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 207,029 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 96,164 shares during the period. Financial Counselors Inc.'s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $14,676,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bellwether Advisors LLC purchased a new position in NextEra Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in NextEra Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Copia Wealth Management bought a new stake in NextEra Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Graney & King LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 41.3% during the 4th quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 643 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. 78.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NextEra Energy Trading Up 1.4%

NEE traded up $1.02 during trading on Thursday, hitting $74.67. 6,954,729 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,112,179. The firm has a market capitalization of $153.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $71.03 and a 200 day moving average of $70.21. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $61.72 and a 12-month high of $86.10.

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

NextEra Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were issued a $0.5665 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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 85.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other NextEra Energy news, EVP Charles E. Sieving sold 23,684 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 196,817 shares in the company, 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. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $89.00 price target on shares of NextEra Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of NextEra Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $84.00 to $77.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, NextEra Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $84.73.

NextEra Energy Company 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.