NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Shares Sold by Navellier & Associates Inc.

Key Points

• Navellier & Associates Inc. reduced its stake in NRG Energy by 8.6% in the first quarter, selling 2,075 shares and now holding 21,934 shares valued at approximately $2.09 million.
• NRG Energy reported $2.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the last quarter, significantly exceeding analyst expectations and demonstrating a 15.6% year-over-year revenue increase.
• The company recently declared a $0.44 quarterly dividend, with an annualized yield of 1.12%, scheduled for payment to shareholders on August 15th.

Navellier & Associates Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Free Report) by 8.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,934 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 2,075 shares during the period. Navellier & Associates Inc.'s holdings in NRG Energy were worth $2,094,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NRG. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in NRG Energy by 10,483.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 661,347 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $63,132,000 after purchasing an additional 655,098 shares during the period. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $54,881,000. Bridgewater Associates LP grew its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 47.3% in the 4th quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 1,185,365 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $106,944,000 after acquiring an additional 380,564 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 119.1% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 677,894 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $61,161,000 after acquiring an additional 368,473 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,282,672 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $205,943,000 after acquiring an additional 316,445 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.72% of the company's stock.

NRG Energy Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NRG traded down $1.39 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $156.58. The stock had a trading volume of 2,025,569 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,927,422. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $65.11 and a 12-month high of $168.57. The firm has a market cap of $30.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.06. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $154.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $121.83.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The utilities provider reported $2.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $1.90. NRG Energy had a return on equity of 73.78% and a net margin of 4.66%. The firm had revenue of $8.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.28 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.31 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 15.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NRG Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 1st will be issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 1st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.12%. NRG Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 28.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on NRG shares. Citigroup upped their price target on NRG Energy from $133.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. BMO Capital Markets restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $167.00 price target (up previously from $115.00) on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Barclays set a $197.00 target price on NRG Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Guggenheim upped their target price on NRG Energy from $138.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on NRG Energy in a research note on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $129.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $160.30.

Insider Transactions at NRG Energy

In other news, Director Kevin Howell sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The stock was 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 directly owned 55,427 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.86% of the company's stock.

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.