Rafferty Asset Management LLC Has $13.12 Million Stock Holdings in NextEra Energy, Inc. $NEE

Key Points

• Rafferty Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in NextEra Energy by 19.8%, now holding 185,053 shares valued at approximately $13.1 million.
• NextEra Energy declared a quarterly dividend of $0.5665 per share with a yield of 3.0%, set to be paid on September 15th.
• The stock has a current consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target of $83.79, following several ratings updates from major analysts.

Rafferty Asset Management LLC lowered its position in shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE - Free Report) by 19.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 185,053 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 45,824 shares during the quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC's holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $13,118,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 1.0% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 207,322,418 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $14,697,086,000 after buying an additional 2,025,193 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in NextEra Energy by 1.1% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 23,353,245 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,655,512,000 after acquiring an additional 262,819 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in NextEra Energy by 6.7% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 21,269,146 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,507,770,000 after acquiring an additional 1,336,259 shares during the period. GQG Partners LLC raised its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 58.4% during the 1st quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 17,236,502 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,221,896,000 after acquiring an additional 6,352,798 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 20.7% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 16,446,413 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,165,748,000 after acquiring an additional 2,815,629 shares during the last quarter. 78.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

NextEra Energy Stock Down 0.1%

NEE traded down $0.06 during trading on Friday, reaching $72.03. The company had a trading volume of 11,278,715 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,219,526. The company has a market cap of $148.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.19, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.63. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $61.72 and a 12 month high of $86.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The business's fifty day moving average price is $73.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $70.94.

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

NextEra Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 28th will be issued a $0.5665 dividend. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 28th. NextEra Energy's payout ratio is 79.37%.

Insider Activity

In other NextEra Energy news, EVP Robert Coffey sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $1,906,561.76. The trade was a 22.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Treasurer James Michael May sold 2,177 shares of the 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 transaction, the treasurer owned 27,662 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,143,805. The trade was a 7.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of NextEra Energy in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Melius Research upgraded NextEra Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Melius began coverage on shares of NextEra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $77.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $94.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $84.00.

NextEra Energy 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.