NRG Energy, Inc. $NRG Shares Sold by Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.

Key Points

• Crossmark Global Holdings trimmed its stake in NRG by 50.9% in Q3, selling 21,819 shares and leaving 21,067 shares valued at about $3.41 million, while institutional investors own roughly 97.7% of the stock.
• Significant insider selling occurred recently: CFO Bruce Chung and VP Robert Gaudette sold large blocks (12,383 and 45,000 shares respectively), with insiders offloading 172,556 shares worth $27.55 million in the past 90 days (insiders now own 0.86%).
• NRG missed Q4 EPS expectations ($1.04 vs. $1.19) but topped revenue estimates ($7.75B vs. $6.68B); analysts give a consensus Moderate Buy rating with an average target of $196.33, and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.475 ($1.90 annual, ~1.2% yield).

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lowered its stake in shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Free Report) by 50.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,067 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 21,819 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in NRG Energy were worth $3,412,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in NRG Energy during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 90.4% in the 3rd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 179 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of NRG Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 32.1% during the 2nd quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 383 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $67,000. 97.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on NRG shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $202.00 to $206.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Zacks Research raised shares of NRG Energy from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $198.00 to $181.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Evercore began coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $215.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, NRG Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $196.33.

NRG Energy Stock Down 3.6%

Shares of NYSE:NRG opened at $154.61 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $33.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.24 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a 50 day moving average of $159.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $161.53. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.57 and a 52-week high of $189.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.92.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by ($0.15). The firm had revenue of $7.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. NRG Energy had a return on equity of 109.48% and a net margin of 2.81%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.56 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NRG Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were issued a $0.475 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. This is an increase from NRG Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. NRG Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling at NRG Energy

In related news, CFO Bruce Chung sold 12,383 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.56, for a total value of $1,938,682.48. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 79,147 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,391,254.32. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Robert J. Gaudette sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.76, for a total value of $7,144,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 63,920 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,147,939.20. This represents a 41.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 172,556 shares of company stock valued at $27,550,446 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.86% of the company's stock.

NRG Energy Profile

NRG Energy NYSE: NRG is a U.S.-based integrated power company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company develops, owns and operates a diversified portfolio of power generation assets and participates in wholesale and retail energy markets. NRG supplies electricity to utilities, commercial and industrial customers, and retail consumers, while also providing energy-related products and services designed to manage consumption and support reliability.

NRG's generation mix includes conventional thermal plants as well as renewable and distributed energy resources.

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