NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Shares Sold by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV reduced its stake in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Free Report) by 12.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the 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 large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in NRG Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in NRG Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in NRG Energy by 221.0% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 504 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in NRG Energy by 64.9% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 521 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the period. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in NRG Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. 97.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on NRG shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $113.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Barclays set a $197.00 price objective on shares of NRG Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of NRG Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $167.00 price objective (up from $115.00) on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $151.80.

NRG Energy Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of NRG Energy stock traded up $3.21 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $158.75. The company had a trading volume of 2,106,109 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,984,594. The company's 50-day moving average is $147.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $115.84. NRG Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $65.11 and a twelve month high of $168.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The company has a market cap of $31.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $1.90. The business had revenue of $8.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.28 billion. NRG Energy had a net margin of 4.66% and a return on equity of 73.78%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.31 EPS. Analysts anticipate that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NRG Energy Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Kevin Howell sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.50, for a total transaction of $7,725,000.00. Following the completion of 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. 0.86% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.