Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Increases Holdings in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in NextEra Energy by 20.7%, owning approximately 0.80% of the company valued at over $1.16 billion following a purchase of 2.8 million shares.
• NextEra Energy's quarterly earnings report exceeded expectations with an earnings per share (EPS) of $1.05 against a consensus estimate of $1.01.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.5665, resulting in an annualized dividend of $2.27 and a yield of 3.2%.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE - Free Report) by 20.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 16,446,413 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 2,815,629 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.80% of NextEra Energy worth $1,165,748,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bellwether Advisors LLC bought a new stake in NextEra Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. IMA Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in NextEra Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Copia Wealth Management bought a new stake in NextEra Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in NextEra Energy by 237.7% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 520 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of NextEra Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 78.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NextEra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NEE traded down $0.16 during trading on Friday, hitting $72.42. 5,575,056 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,816,330. The company has a market cap of $149.13 billion, a PE ratio of 25.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.63. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $72.56 and a 200 day moving average of $70.55. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $61.72 and a 52-week 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.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 12.31% and a net margin of 22.84%. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.96 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 28th will be given a dividend of $0.5665 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 28th. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. NextEra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.37%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on NEE shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on NextEra Energy from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Erste Group Bank lowered NextEra Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. UBS Group reduced their target price on NextEra Energy from $94.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on NextEra Energy from $86.00 to $82.00 in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on NextEra Energy from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, NextEra Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $84.42.

Insider Transactions at NextEra Energy

In other NextEra Energy news, Treasurer James Michael May sold 2,177 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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. This trade represents a 7.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Robert Coffey sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 22.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

About NextEra Energy

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.