First Trust Advisors LP Increases Stake in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG)

First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Free Report) by 60.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 464,341 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 174,759 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.23% of NRG Energy worth $41,893,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in NRG Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in NRG Energy by 100.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of NRG Energy by 414.9% in the fourth quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 484 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in NRG Energy by 221.0% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 504 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.72% of the company's stock.

NRG Energy Trading Down 0.4 %

NRG Energy stock traded down $0.49 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $108.87. 394,589 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,019,058. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $97.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $97.08. NRG Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $65.11 and a fifty-two week high of $117.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.36, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.10.

NRG Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 1st will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 1st. NRG Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI raised shares of NRG Energy from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the company from $74.00 to $126.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com cut NRG Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on NRG Energy in a research note on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $129.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on NRG Energy from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NRG Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $124.00.

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.