VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Buys New Holdings in NRG Energy, Inc. $NRG

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems acquired 30,400 shares of NRG Energy worth approximately $4.44 million in the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 97.72% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with NRG receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $198.43, despite several recent target-price reductions.
• NRG reported quarterly revenue of $7.48 billion, up 11% year over year, but earnings per share of $1.49 fell short of estimates. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.475 per share, representing a 1.6% yield.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 30,400 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,440,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NRG. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 93.5% during the fourth quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 571,628 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $91,026,000 after buying an additional 276,157 shares during the period. Hiddenite Capital Partners LP lifted its stake in NRG Energy by 28.6% in the fourth quarter. Hiddenite Capital Partners LP now owns 90,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $14,332,000 after acquiring an additional 20,000 shares during the period. Foster & Motley Inc. bought a new stake in NRG Energy in the second quarter valued at $2,014,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in NRG Energy by 83.8% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 568,464 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $90,522,000 after purchasing an additional 259,113 shares during the period. Finally, TimesSquare Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in NRG Energy by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 523,205 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $83,315,000 after purchasing an additional 51,360 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.72% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other NRG Energy news, VP Virginia Kinney sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.52, for a total transaction of $2,550,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 45,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,752,554.72. This trade represents a 30.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Gerald Alfred Spencer sold 1,580 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.93, for a total transaction of $191,069.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 6,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $751,338.09. This represents a 20.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.43% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Siebert Williams Shank began coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Monday, July 6th. They set a "buy" rating and a $184.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $214.00 price objective on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on NRG Energy from $165.00 to $162.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 21st. Scotiabank decreased their target price on NRG Energy from $226.00 to $211.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $221.00 price target on NRG Energy in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, NRG Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $198.43.

NRG Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NRG opened at $115.47 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.17, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.97. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $125.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $140.43. NRG Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $108.34 and a fifty-two week high of $189.96. The company has a market capitalization of $24.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.55 and a beta of 1.18.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.20). The company had revenue of $7.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.31 billion. NRG Energy had a return on equity of 52.95% and a net margin of 2.56%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.73 EPS. NRG Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-9.900 EPS. Analysts expect that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.475 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. NRG Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.26%.

About NRG Energy

NRG Energy, Inc is a North American energy and home services company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company operates through power generation and energy retail businesses, supplying electricity and related services to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

NRG owns and operates a diverse portfolio of power-generation assets, including natural gas, coal, nuclear and renewable facilities. It also sells electricity and natural gas through brands such as Reliant, Direct Energy and Green Mountain Energy, with retail operations serving customers in competitive energy markets across the United States and Canada.

In addition to its energy operations, NRG provides smart-home, security and related connected-home services through its Vivint business.

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