NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Stake Decreased by Natixis Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC reduced its stake in NRG Energy, Inc. by 1.9%, owning approximately 179,377 shares valued at $17.1 million after selling 3,552 shares in the first quarter.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for NRG Energy, with an average price target of $160.30, while several brokerages have raised their target prices significantly.
• NRG Energy reported strong quarterly results, with earnings per share of $2.62, exceeding expectations by $1.90, and achieved a year-over-year revenue increase of 15.6%.

Natixis Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Free Report) by 1.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 179,377 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 3,552 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.09% of NRG Energy worth $17,123,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Key Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of NRG Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Evermay Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in NRG Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in NRG Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. 97.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $167.00 price objective (up from $115.00) on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on NRG Energy from $165.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen cut NRG Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Barclays set a $197.00 price target on NRG Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on NRG Energy from $138.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Two research 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 MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $160.30.

NRG Energy Stock Down 1.1%

NRG traded down $1.90 on Tuesday, hitting $172.01. 4,364,722 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,735,789. NRG Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $69.38 and a twelve month high of $175.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61. The company has a market cap of $33.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $155.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $124.84.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.31 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current year.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 1st will be given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 1st. NRG Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at NRG Energy

In other news, Director Kevin Howell sold 50,000 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 55,427 shares in the company, valued at $8,563,471.50. This trade represents a 47.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company 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.