NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Shares Acquired by Townsquare Capital LLC

Key Points

• Townsquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in NRG Energy by 111.4% during the 1st quarter, owning 11,062 shares worth approximately $1,056,000 after purchasing an additional 5,829 shares.
• NRG Energy reported $1.68 EPS for the last quarter, missing analysts' expectations, but had a revenue of $6.74 billion, which exceeded projections.
• Several analysts raised their target prices for NRG Energy, with BMO Capital Markets setting a new target of $185.00, reflecting positive sentiment for the company's stock.

Townsquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Free Report) by 111.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,062 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,829 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC's holdings in NRG Energy were worth $1,056,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in shares of NRG Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in NRG Energy by 51.9% during the 1st quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 415,788 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $39,751,000 after acquiring an additional 142,143 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in NRG Energy by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 353,307 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,727,000 after acquiring an additional 28,813 shares in the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board acquired a new position in NRG Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $1,199,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG lifted its stake in NRG Energy by 7.3% during the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,050,924 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $100,321,000 after acquiring an additional 71,337 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.72% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at NRG Energy

In other news, Director Kevin Howell sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.50, for a total value of $7,725,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 55,427 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,563,471.50. This represents a 47.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.86% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on NRG Energy from $167.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on NRG Energy in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on NRG Energy from $113.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Guggenheim increased their target price on NRG Energy from $138.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Citigroup increased 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $162.70.

NRG Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NRG opened at $153.98 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $155.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $127.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.99, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.88. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.13 and a 1-year high of $175.96. The company has a market cap of $29.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.14.

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

NRG Energy Announces Dividend

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

NRG Energy Company Profile

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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