4,032 Shares in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Purchased by Heartland Bank & Trust Co

Heartland Bank & Trust Co acquired a new stake in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 4,032 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $385,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in NRG Energy by 221.0% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 504 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in NRG Energy by 64.9% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 521 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in NRG Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.72% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on NRG. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of NRG Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $167.00 target price (up previously from $115.00) on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $138.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Friday, April 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $129.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $165.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, NRG Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $146.78.

NRG Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NRG traded up $0.26 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $152.18. 2,422,792 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,974,078. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61. The business's fifty day moving average is $135.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.59. NRG Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $65.11 and a one year high of $162.33. The stock has a market cap of $29.75 billion, a PE ratio of 24.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.13.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The utilities provider reported $2.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by $1.90. NRG Energy had a net margin of 4.66% and a return on equity of 73.78%. The firm had revenue of $8.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.31 earnings per share. NRG Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current year.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 1st were given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 1st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.16%. NRG Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 28.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Kevin Howell sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.50, for a total value of $7,725,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 55,427 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,563,471.50. This trade represents a 47.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

NRG Energy Profile

NRG Energy, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy and home services company in the United States and Canada. It operates through Texas; East; West/Services/Other; Vivint Smart Home; and Corporate Activities segments. The company produces and sells electricity generated using coal, oil, solar, and battery storage; natural gas; and a cloud-based home platform, including hardware, software, sales, installation, customer service, technical support, and professional monitoring solutions.