Mizuho Securities USA LLC Sells 2,980 Shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG)

Key Points

• Mizuho Securities USA LLC reduced its stake in NRG Energy by 15.5% in the first quarter, holding 16,219 shares valued at approximately $1.55 million.
• NRG Energy's recent earnings report revealed an EPS of $1.68, falling short of analysts' expectations by $0.04, while revenue was up 1.2% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, with an ex-dividend date of August 1st, representing an annual yield of 1.2%.

Mizuho Securities USA LLC cut its holdings in shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Free Report) by 15.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,219 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,980 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in NRG Energy were worth $1,548,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in NRG Energy by 23.6% during the 1st quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,197 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $782,000 after buying an additional 1,565 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC lifted its position in NRG Energy by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC now owns 18,539 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,770,000 after buying an additional 1,512 shares in the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC lifted its position in NRG Energy by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 39,145 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,737,000 after buying an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC lifted its position in NRG Energy by 10.3% during the 1st quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC now owns 8,521 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $813,000 after buying an additional 799 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Donoghue Forlines LLC raised its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 146.3% in the 1st quarter. Donoghue Forlines LLC now owns 40,087 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,827,000 after purchasing an additional 23,812 shares during the period. 97.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on NRG. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $138.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of NRG Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $113.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $197.00 to $203.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, NRG Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $162.70.

NRG Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NRG traded down $1.67 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $155.02. 2,514,262 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,383,949. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.13 and a 52 week high of $175.96. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $155.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $126.85. The firm has a market cap of $29.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 70.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.99.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.72 by ($0.04). NRG Energy had a return on equity of 88.22% and a net margin of 1.78%. The business had revenue of $6.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.63 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.37 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 EPS for the current year.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at NRG Energy

In related news, Director Kevin Howell sold 50,000 shares of NRG Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.50, for a total value of $7,725,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 55,427 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,563,471.50. This trade represents a 47.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.86% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.