NextEra Energy, Inc. $NEE Shares Sold by William Blair Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• William Blair Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in NextEra Energy, Inc. by 47.8%, owning 199,467 shares worth approximately $13.85 million after selling 182,695 shares in the second quarter.
• NextEra Energy also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.5665 per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 2.7% and a payout ratio of 79.37%.
• Wall Street analysts have rated NextEra Energy with an average price target of $86.40, with two analysts giving it a Strong Buy rating and eleven issuing a Buy rating.

William Blair Investment Management LLC lessened its position in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE - Free Report) by 47.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 199,467 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 182,695 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC's holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $13,847,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. raised its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. now owns 15,249 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,140,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc raised its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc now owns 6,350 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $441,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 33,925 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,355,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Tradition Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,625 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $470,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the period. Finally, Tandem Capital Management Corp ADV raised its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Tandem Capital Management Corp ADV now owns 9,965 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $692,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.72% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at NextEra Energy

In other news, EVP Charles E. Sieving sold 11,336 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $906,880.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 167,481 shares in the company, valued at $13,398,480. This trade represents a 6.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Robert Coffey sold 7,500 shares of the firm'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 trade represents a 22.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 32,705 shares of company stock valued at $2,446,490. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $95.00 target price (down from $96.00) on shares of NextEra Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Melius assumed coverage on NextEra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $77.00 target price for the company. Barclays boosted their target price on NextEra Energy from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. New Street Research set a $84.00 price objective on NextEra Energy in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on NextEra Energy from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $86.40.

NextEra Energy Stock Down 0.7%

NEE opened at $84.48 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $75.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The company has a market cap of $173.97 billion, a PE ratio of 29.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.66. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $61.72 and a 52 week high of $86.74.

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

NextEra Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 28th were issued a dividend of $0.5665 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 28th. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. NextEra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.37%.

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.

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