NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) Position Increased by Gradient Investments LLC

Gradient Investments LLC lifted its stake in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE - Free Report) by 9.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 403,211 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 33,699 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC's holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $28,584,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NEE. Bellwether Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in NextEra Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Copia Wealth Management acquired a new position in NextEra Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in NextEra Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC acquired a new position in NextEra Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.72% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Charles E. Sieving sold 23,684 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 196,817 shares in the company, valued at $13,777,190. This represents a 10.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

NextEra Energy Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE NEE traded up $0.94 during trading on Thursday, reaching $70.82. 3,276,902 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,076,976. The business's 50-day moving average price is $68.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $70.71. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $61.72 and a twelve month high of $86.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company has a market capitalization of $145.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.69.

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

NextEra Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $0.5665 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.20%. NextEra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 84.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of NextEra Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays lowered their target price 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. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of NextEra Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $102.00 to $97.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $84.00 to $77.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $83.50.

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.