NextEra Energy, Inc. $NEE Stock Holdings Lifted by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Key Points

• Commonwealth Equity Services increased its NextEra Energy stake by 2.1% in the third quarter, adding 44,944 shares to reach 2.17 million shares valued at about $164.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 78.72% of the company.
• NextEra’s proposed Dominion acquisition faces mixed signals in Virginia: a commissioned study says the merger could create thousands of jobs, while faith leaders and community advocates are urging regulators to reject it.
• NextEra beat quarterly EPS estimates, reporting $1.24 per share versus a $1.20 consensus, though revenue missed forecasts. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.6232 per share, equivalent to an annualized yield of about 2.8%.

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its holdings in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE - Free Report) by 2.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,174,456 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 44,944 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC owned 0.10% of NextEra Energy worth $164,693,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of NextEra Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,465,987,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 16,302,084 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,430,834,000 after purchasing an additional 895,824 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 46.5% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 13,329,077 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,169,839,000 after purchasing an additional 4,231,814 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 10,187,013 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $946,169,000 after purchasing an additional 799,546 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GQG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in NextEra Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $651,293,000. 78.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting NextEra Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting NextEra Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: A Virginia Chamber of Commerce–commissioned study says the merger could create thousands of jobs in Virginia. That economic case may help build support for the deal, though it does not ensure regulatory approval. Virginia Chamber of Commerce promotes study touting Dominion merger benefits
• Positive Sentiment: A report describes the Virginia merger review as advancing and highlights safeguards in the case. Progress and protections could help address concerns around the transaction, but the available report details do not establish that approval is assured. NextEra Energy stock gains safeguards as Virginia merger review advances
• Neutral Sentiment: A comparison of NextEra and Duke Energy says both could benefit from rising electricity demand tied to AI. It characterizes NextEra as having stronger earnings growth, while Duke offers a lower valuation and higher dividend; the article does not report a new company-specific development. NextEra Energy vs. Duke Energy: Which Dividend Utility Wins the AI Power Boom?
• Negative Sentiment: Faith leaders and community advocates urged Virginia’s State Corporation Commission to reject the Dominion acquisition, arguing it could put corporate profits ahead of families and local communities. Their opposition underscores political and regulatory risk for the proposed deal. Faith Leaders Urge SCC to Reject Dominion-NextEra Merger

NextEra Energy Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE NEE opened at $88.27 on Friday. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $74.41 and a twelve month high of $98.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $80.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $87.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $185.12 billion, a PE ratio of 15.90, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.60.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The utilities provider reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.04. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 12.27% and a net margin of 40.37%. The firm had revenue of $8.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.13 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current year.

NextEra Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.6232 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 27th. This represents a $2.49 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. NextEra Energy's dividend payout ratio is 44.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of NextEra Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $110.00 to $99.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Piper Sandler set a $88.00 price target on shares of NextEra Energy in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $95.00 to $80.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of NextEra Energy from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $97.80.

NextEra Energy Profile

NextEra Energy, Inc is an energy infrastructure company headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida. Through its businesses, the company generates, transmits, distributes and sells electricity, with a focus on regulated utility operations and clean energy development.

Florida Power & Light Company, NextEra Energy's principal regulated utility, serves customers across much of Florida. FPL operates electric generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure and provides retail electricity service to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

NextEra Energy Resources develops, owns and operates renewable energy and energy storage projects, including wind and solar facilities.

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