NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Shares Sold by LSV Asset Management

Key Points

• LSV Asset Management reduced its holdings in NRG Energy, Inc. by 4.0%, now owning approximately 4 million shares valued at $382.5 million, making it the 20th largest position in its portfolio.
• NRG Energy's recent earnings report showed an EPS of $2.62, significantly surpassing expectations of $0.72, with revenues of $8.59 billion—up 15.6% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, representing a 1.0% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 28.39%.

LSV Asset Management decreased its stake in shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Free Report) by 4.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,006,860 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 168,961 shares during the period. NRG Energy comprises 0.9% of LSV Asset Management's portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. LSV Asset Management owned about 1.97% of NRG Energy worth $382,495,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Key Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Evermay Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in NRG Energy during the first quarter worth $36,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in NRG Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in NRG Energy by 64.9% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 521 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $53,000. Institutional investors own 97.72% of the company's stock.

NRG Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NRG traded up $6.41 during trading on Monday, reaching $174.04. 3,195,429 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,672,479. The firm has a market cap of $34.03 billion, a PE ratio of 28.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.14. NRG Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $65.11 and a fifty-two week high of $174.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $155.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $124.35.

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

NRG Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 1st will be issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 1st. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. NRG Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $195.00 target price for the company. Citigroup boosted their price target on NRG Energy from $133.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of NRG Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Guggenheim upped their target price on NRG Energy from $138.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Barclays set a $197.00 price target on NRG Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, NRG Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $160.30.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Kevin Howell sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was 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 directly owned 55,427 shares in the company, valued at $8,563,471.50. This represents a 47.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.61% of the company's stock.

About NRG Energy

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.