Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Has $1.31 Million Stock Holdings in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG)

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA grew its holdings in shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Free Report) by 136.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,764 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 8,520 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA's holdings in NRG Energy were worth $1,311,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of NRG. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in NRG Energy by 5.9% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 17,493 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,670,000 after purchasing an additional 981 shares in the last quarter. Axecap Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 22.0% during the first quarter. Axecap Investments LLC now owns 31,757 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,032,000 after buying an additional 5,719 shares during the last quarter. Arvest Investments Inc. bought a new stake in NRG Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $1,023,000. CX Institutional bought a new stake in NRG Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $165,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in NRG Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $1,345,000. 97.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NRG Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NRG traded up $1.82 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $153.86. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,534,052 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,989,703. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.66, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.13. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $131.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $110.14. NRG Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $65.11 and a fifty-two week high of $162.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.17.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The utilities provider reported $2.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $1.90. NRG Energy had a net margin of 3.43% and a return on equity of 48.96%. The business had revenue of $8.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.28 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.31 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current year.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 1st were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 1st. NRG Energy's dividend payout ratio is 28.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on NRG shares. Raymond James started coverage on NRG Energy in a report on Friday. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $195.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $165.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $86.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of NRG Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $167.00 target price (up from $115.00) on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $146.78.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kevin Howell sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.50, for a total transaction of $7,725,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 55,427 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,563,471.50. This trade represents a 47.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate 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.