2,689 Shares in NRG Energy, Inc. $NRG Acquired by Optimize Financial Inc

Key Points

• Optimize Financial Inc has made a new investment of approximately $257,000 in NRG Energy, acquiring 2,689 shares in the first quarter.
• Multiple institutional investors significantly increased their stakes in NRG Energy, with Goldman Sachs growing its holdings by 468.4% and Amundi by 772.5%.
• NRG Energy recently reported earnings of $1.68 EPS, missing expectations, while its revenue of $6.74 billion surpassed analysts' forecasts.

Optimize Financial Inc purchased a new stake in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,689 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $257,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in NRG Energy during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Key Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of NRG Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Evermay Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of NRG Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of NRG Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 44.0% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 655 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 97.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NRG Energy Stock Up 4.5%

Shares of NYSE:NRG traded up $7.14 during trading on Friday, hitting $165.06. The stock had a trading volume of 2,278,123 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,979,868. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $77.49 and a 12 month high of $175.96. The company has a market capitalization of $31.93 billion, a PE ratio of 74.69, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.17. The firm's fifty day moving average is $153.23 and its 200 day moving average is $133.81. 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 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $6.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.63 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.37 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NRG Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 1st were given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 1st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. NRG Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 79.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on NRG shares. Melius began coverage on NRG Energy in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $308.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on NRG Energy from $167.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Melius Research assumed coverage on NRG Energy in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $308.00 target price for the company. Barclays raised their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $197.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on NRG Energy from $133.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $186.92.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Dak Liyanearachchi sold 10,672 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $1,654,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 48,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,528,505. This represents a 18.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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.