Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Raises Position in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Key Points

• Mediolanum International Funds Ltd increased its stake in NextEra Energy, Inc. by 22.8%, owning 659,443 shares valued at approximately $46.5 million as of its latest SEC filing.
• A majority of institutional investors hold 78.72% of NextEra Energy's stock, indicating strong interest in the company among major financial players.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.5665 per share, representing an annualized yield of 3.15%, to be distributed to shareholders on September 15th.

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd boosted its holdings in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE - Free Report) by 22.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 659,443 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 122,604 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd's holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $46,458,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Two Sigma Advisers LP purchased a new position in shares of NextEra Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $240,269,000. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its position in NextEra Energy by 46.7% in the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 7,910,346 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $567,093,000 after acquiring an additional 2,517,369 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its position in NextEra Energy by 44.9% in the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 8,064,781 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $578,164,000 after acquiring an additional 2,499,011 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 8,456.8% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,458,536 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $174,286,000 after buying an additional 2,429,804 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 23,090,426 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,655,353,000 after buying an additional 2,030,331 shares in the last quarter. 78.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on NEE. HSBC cut their target price on NextEra Energy from $88.00 to $86.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Erste Group Bank cut NextEra Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on NextEra Energy from $102.00 to $97.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $84.42.

NextEra Energy Stock Down 0.4%

NextEra Energy stock traded down $0.27 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $71.68. The stock had a trading volume of 1,834,296 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,164,171. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $72.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $70.47. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $61.72 and a 1-year high of $86.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $147.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.54.

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

NextEra Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 28th will be issued a $0.5665 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 28th. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.16%. NextEra Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 79.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling at NextEra Energy

In related news, Treasurer James Michael May sold 2,177 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.50, for a total transaction of $168,717.50. Following the sale, the treasurer owned 27,662 shares in the company, valued at $2,143,805. The trade was a 7.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Robert Coffey sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.84, for a total value of $538,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 26,539 shares in the company, valued at $1,906,561.76. This represents a 22.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 33,361 shares of company stock valued at $2,365,398 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

NextEra Energy Company 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.