KBC Group NV Sells 2,395 Shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG)

KBC Group NV trimmed its position in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Free Report) by 12.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,966 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,395 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV's holdings in NRG Energy were worth $1,620,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Independent Advisor Alliance raised its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 2,619 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $236,000 after buying an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in NRG Energy by 28.3% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 662 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH lifted its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 3,302 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $298,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,468 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Trust Co increased its position in NRG Energy by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 2,845 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. 97.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NRG has been the topic of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set 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 NRG Energy from $138.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on NRG Energy from $113.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on NRG Energy in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $195.00 price target on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on NRG Energy in a research note on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $129.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, NRG Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $151.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at NRG Energy

In related news, Director Kevin Howell sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.50, for a total transaction of $7,725,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 55,427 shares in the company, valued at $8,563,471.50. This represents a 47.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.61% of the company's stock.

NRG Energy Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of NRG Energy stock traded up $3.21 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $158.75. The company had a trading volume of 2,106,109 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,984,594. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $147.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $116.03. NRG Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $65.11 and a fifty-two week high of $168.57. The firm has a market cap of $31.04 billion, a PE ratio of 25.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The utilities provider reported $2.62 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $8.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.28 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.31 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current year.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 1st were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 1st. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.11%. NRG Energy's payout ratio is currently 28.39%.

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.