NRG Energy, Inc. $NRG Stake Decreased by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Key Points

• Russell Investments trimmed its NRG stake by 18.3% in Q3, selling 183,888 shares and leaving it with 822,942 shares (≈0.43% of the company) valued at about $133.4 million.
• NRG missed quarterly EPS expectations ($1.04 vs. $1.19) despite 13.7% YoY revenue growth to $7.75 billion, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.475 (annualized $1.90, ~1.2% yield).
• Insiders have been net sellers: two vice presidents recently sold large blocks and insiders disposed of 172,556 shares (≈$27.6 million) in the last 90 days, leaving insiders with roughly 0.61% ownership.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its holdings in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Free Report) by 18.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 822,942 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 183,888 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.43% of NRG Energy worth $133,376,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NRG. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 3.0% during the third quarter. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,222 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $360,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in NRG Energy by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,410 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Golden State Equity Partners raised its position in shares of NRG Energy by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 1,589 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $257,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT lifted its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 19.8% in the 3rd quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 459 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Optivise Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 5.1% during the third quarter. Optivise Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,670 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $270,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.72% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at NRG Energy

In related news, VP Brian Curci sold 60,580 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total transaction of $9,796,391.80. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 93,089 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,053,422.19. This trade represents a 39.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Robert J. Gaudette sold 45,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.76, for a total transaction of $7,144,200.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 63,920 shares in the company, valued at $10,147,939.20. The trade was a 41.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 172,556 shares of company stock valued at $27,550,446 in the last 90 days. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

NRG Energy Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE NRG opened at $155.44 on Tuesday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $159.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $161.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.92, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.64. NRG Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.57 and a twelve month high of $189.96. The stock has a market cap of $33.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.45 and a beta of 1.26.

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

NRG Energy Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NRG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on NRG Energy from $202.00 to $206.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $225.00 price objective on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Zacks Research upgraded NRG Energy from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Evercore assumed coverage on NRG Energy in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $215.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on NRG Energy in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $211.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, NRG Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $196.33.

NRG Energy Company 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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