Verity & Verity LLC Buys 82,713 Shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Verity & Verity LLC lifted its position in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE - Free Report) by 42.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 278,658 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 82,713 shares during the quarter. NextEra Energy comprises approximately 1.7% of Verity & Verity LLC's holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. Verity & Verity LLC's holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $19,754,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bellwether Advisors LLC bought a new stake in NextEra Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of NextEra Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Copia Wealth Management bought a new stake in NextEra Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in NextEra Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC acquired a new stake in NextEra Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 78.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

NextEra Energy Price Performance

NEE stock traded down $0.98 during trading on Monday, hitting $73.80. The company had a trading volume of 13,735,737 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,095,653. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $69.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $70.40. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $61.72 and a fifty-two week high of $86.10. The company has a market cap of $151.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.99. The company had revenue of $6.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.58 billion. NextEra Energy had a net margin of 28.06% and a return on equity of 11.85%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.91 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NextEra Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a $0.5665 dividend. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. NextEra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 84.64%.

Insider Transactions at NextEra Energy

In other NextEra Energy news, EVP Charles E. Sieving sold 23,684 shares of NextEra Energy stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total value of $1,657,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 196,817 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,777,190. The trade was a 10.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on NEE shares. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $89.00 price target on shares of NextEra Energy in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $73.00 to $65.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of NextEra Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on NextEra Energy from $102.00 to $97.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $84.50.

NextEra Energy Company Profile

NextEra Energy, Inc, through its subsidiaries, generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power to retail and wholesale customers in North America. The company generates electricity through wind, solar, nuclear,natural gas, and other clean energy. It also develops, constructs, and operates long-term contracted assets that consists of clean energy solutions, such as renewable generation facilities, battery storage projects, and electric transmission facilities; sells energy commodities; and owns, develops, constructs, manages and operates electric generation facilities in wholesale energy markets.