NRG Energy, Inc. $NRG Shares Purchased by Jones Financial Companies Lllp

Key Points

• Jones Financial Companies Lllp significantly increased its stake in NRG Energy, raising holdings by 538.4% to 11,599 shares worth $1,107,000.
• NRG Energy's recent earnings report revealed $1.68 EPS, missing the expected $1.72, with revenues slightly up to $6.74 billion.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for NRG Energy, with a majority giving it a Moderate Buy rating and an average target price of $186.92.

Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Free Report) by 538.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,599 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 9,782 shares during the quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp's holdings in NRG Energy were worth $1,107,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Horizon Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 3.0% in the first quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 2,908 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. increased its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 12.1% in the first quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 900 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 13.0% in the first quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 904 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 8.7% in the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,482 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $141,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 19.2% in the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 758 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.72% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on NRG shares. Melius Research began coverage on NRG Energy in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $308.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen cut NRG Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Citigroup raised their target price on NRG Energy from $133.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Barclays raised their target price on NRG Energy from $197.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Raymond James Financial began coverage on NRG Energy in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $195.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, NRG Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $186.92.

NRG Energy Trading Up 4.5%

NYSE:NRG opened at $165.06 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $31.93 billion, a PE ratio of 74.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $153.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $133.67. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $77.49 and a 12-month high of $175.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.99.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.72 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $6.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.63 billion. NRG Energy had a net margin of 1.78% and a return on equity of 88.22%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.37 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 1st were issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 1st. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. NRG Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.64%.

Insider Transactions at NRG Energy

In related news, VP Dak Liyanearachchi sold 10,672 shares of NRG Energy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $1,654,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 48,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,528,505. This trade represents a 18.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.86% 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.

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