NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Evercore ISI

Key Points

• NextEra Energy was upgraded to a "strong-buy" rating by Evercore ISI, indicating increased analyst confidence in the stock.
• Mizuho set a price target of $78.00, while JPMorgan Chase raised their target from $86.00 to $87.00, with NextEra receiving multiple ratings from analysts including nine "buy" ratings.
• The company's stock opened at $83.28, with a market capitalization of $171.50 billion and a recent earnings report showing a 10.4% increase in revenue compared to the previous year.

Stock analysts at Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) in a research report issued on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage set an "outperform" rating on the utilities provider's stock.

NEE has been the subject of a number of other reports. Melius Research raised shares of NextEra Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Melius assumed coverage on shares of NextEra Energy in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $77.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $95.00 price objective (down from $96.00) on shares of NextEra Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of NextEra Energy in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, NextEra Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.08.

NextEra Energy Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE NEE opened at $83.28 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $171.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.66. NextEra Energy has a 52-week low of $61.72 and a 52-week high of $86.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $73.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $71.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.04. NextEra Energy had a net margin of 22.84% and a return on equity of 12.31%. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.52 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.96 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that NextEra Energy will post 3.68 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at NextEra Energy

In related news, Treasurer James Michael May sold 2,177 shares of NextEra Energy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.50, for a total transaction of $168,717.50. Following the transaction, the treasurer owned 27,662 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,143,805. The trade was a 7.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Michael Dunne sold 10,000 shares of NextEra Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.79, for a total transaction of $707,900.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 62,064 shares in the company, valued at $4,393,510.56. The trade was a 13.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 32,705 shares of company stock worth $2,446,490. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NextEra Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Activest Wealth Management increased its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 79.7% in the 2nd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 354 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Goodman Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. 1 North Wealth Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Quaker Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 200.0% in the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 386 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 772 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.72% of the company's stock.

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.