First Trust Advisors LP Sells 327,241 Shares of NRG Energy, Inc. $NRG

Key Points

• First Trust Advisors LP cut its NRG Energy stake by 50.5% in the first quarter, selling 327,241 shares and retaining 321,284 shares worth approximately $47.0 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 97.72% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive view, with NRG carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $199.93, well above its $141.11 opening price.
• NRG reported quarterly EPS of $1.48, missing expectations of $1.78, although revenue rose 19.5% year over year to $10.26 billion. The company also declared a $0.475 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 1.3% yield.

First Trust Advisors LP lowered its position in shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Free Report) by 50.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 321,284 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 327,241 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.15% of NRG Energy worth $46,952,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,361 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $376,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in NRG Energy by 17.9% during the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky lifted its holdings in NRG Energy by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 1,798 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in NRG Energy by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,892 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $301,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in NRG Energy by 50.0% in the first quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC now owns 219 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. 97.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on NRG shares. Barclays dropped their price target on NRG Energy from $203.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley set a $165.00 price objective on NRG Energy in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings raised NRG Energy from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Siebert Williams Shank assumed coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Monday, July 6th. They set a "buy" rating and a $184.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $210.00 price target on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Monday, April 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $199.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at NRG Energy

In other news, VP Virginia Kinney sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.52, for a total transaction of $2,550,400.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 45,111 shares in the company, valued at $5,752,554.72. This represents a 30.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.43% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

NRG Energy Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:NRG opened at $141.11 on Monday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $135.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $148.73. NRG Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $120.11 and a one year high of $189.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.77 billion, a PE ratio of 166.02 and a beta of 1.21.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.78 by ($0.30). NRG Energy had a net margin of 0.74% and a return on equity of 70.67%. The company had revenue of $10.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.68 EPS. NRG Energy's revenue was up 19.5% on a year-over-year basis. NRG Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-9.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 8.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NRG Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. NRG Energy's payout ratio is 223.53%.

NRG Energy Company Profile

NRG Energy NYSE: NRG is a U.S.-based integrated power company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company develops, owns and operates a diversified portfolio of power generation assets and participates in wholesale and retail energy markets. NRG supplies electricity to utilities, commercial and industrial customers, and retail consumers, while also providing energy-related products and services designed to manage consumption and support reliability.

NRG's generation mix includes conventional thermal plants as well as renewable and distributed energy resources.

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