Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $50.11 Million Stock Holdings in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. significantly increased its stake in NextEra Energy by 377.4%, acquiring an additional 558,760 shares in the first quarter, bringing its total to 706,830 shares, worth approximately $50.1 million.
• Several institutional investors also boosted their positions in NextEra Energy, with Alberta Investment Management Corp. increasing its stake by 293.5%, showing heightened interest in the utilities sector.
• NextEra Energy recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.5665 per share, yielding approximately 3.2%, with a dividend payout ratio of 79.37%.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE - Free Report) by 377.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 706,830 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 558,760 shares during the period. NextEra Energy accounts for approximately 0.4% of Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $50,107,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bellwether Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in NextEra Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. IMA Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Copia Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 237.7% in the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 520 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors own 78.72% of the company's stock.

NextEra Energy Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE:NEE traded down $0.65 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $70.41. 6,627,959 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,376,540. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $61.72 and a one year high of $86.10. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $70.53.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.04. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 12.31% and a net margin of 22.84%. The business had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.52 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.96 EPS. NextEra Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NextEra Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 28th will be given a $0.5665 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 28th. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. NextEra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.37%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on NextEra Energy from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Barclays raised their target price on NextEra Energy from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. UBS Group cut their price objective on NextEra Energy from $94.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 23rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on NextEra Energy from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on NextEra Energy from $86.00 to $82.00 in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $84.42.

Insider Transactions at NextEra Energy

In other news, EVP Charles E. Sieving sold 23,684 shares of NextEra Energy stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,777,190. This trade represents a 10.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Treasurer James Michael May sold 2,177 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.50, for a total value of $168,717.50. Following the completion of the sale, the treasurer owned 27,662 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,143,805. This represents a 7.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 33,361 shares of company stock valued at $2,365,398. Corporate insiders own 0.20% 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.