Vanguard Group Inc. Trims Stake in NRG Energy, Inc. $NRG

Key Points

• Vanguard Group trimmed its stake in NRG by 3.0% in Q4, leaving it with 24,451,352 shares (about 12.76% ownership) valued at roughly $3.89 billion.
• NRG reported Q4 EPS of $1.04, missing the $1.19 consensus, but revenue of $7.75 billion beat expectations and rose 13.7% year‑over‑year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.475 (annualized $1.90, yield 1.2%, ex‑dividend May 1), and analysts carry a consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target around $197 following several upgrades.

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its stake in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Free Report) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 24,451,352 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 745,341 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 12.76% of NRG Energy worth $3,893,633,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 28.4% in the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,809 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,084,000 after purchasing an additional 1,505 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the 4th quarter worth $11,661,000. NBC Securities Inc. increased its stake in NRG Energy by 30.8% in the 4th quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 5,651 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $900,000 after buying an additional 1,330 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Enterprises LLC purchased a new stake in NRG Energy in the 4th quarter worth $244,000. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG increased its stake in NRG Energy by 53.9% in the 4th quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG now owns 8,165 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,300,000 after buying an additional 2,858 shares in the last quarter. 97.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NRG Energy Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:NRG opened at $160.15 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.92. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $105.30 and a 12 month high of $189.96. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $160.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $160.98. The company has a market cap of $34.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.65 and a beta of 1.35.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by ($0.15). NRG Energy had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 109.48%. The business had revenue of $7.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.56 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 8.81 earnings per share for the current year.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st will be issued a $0.475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 1st. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. NRG Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research upgraded NRG Energy from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $190.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on NRG Energy from $157.00 to $154.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Friday, March 6th. They set a "buy" rating and a $197.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $202.00 to $206.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $210.00 price objective on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $197.21.

Insider Transactions at NRG Energy

In other NRG Energy news, VP Virginia Kinney sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.65, for a total value of $783,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 55,495 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,693,291.75. This trade represents a 8.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

NRG Energy Company Profile

NRG Energy NYSE: NRG is a U.S.-based integrated power company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company develops, owns and operates a diversified portfolio of power generation assets and participates in wholesale and retail energy markets. NRG supplies electricity to utilities, commercial and industrial customers, and retail consumers, while also providing energy-related products and services designed to manage consumption and support reliability.

NRG's generation mix includes conventional thermal plants as well as renewable and distributed energy resources.

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