NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) Shares Gap Down - Time to Sell?

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) shares gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $71.54, but opened at $68.90. NextEra Energy shares last traded at $65.66, with a volume of 8,593,924 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of NextEra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $89.00 price objective on shares of NextEra Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Erste Group Bank cut NextEra Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays decreased their target price on NextEra Energy from $73.00 to $65.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on NextEra Energy from $102.00 to $97.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $83.46.

NextEra Energy Trading Down 9.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.47 and a quick ratio of 0.38. The company has a market capitalization of $133.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.69. The business's 50-day moving average price is $68.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.20.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.99. The firm had revenue of $6.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.58 billion. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 28.06%. The company's revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.91 EPS. Research analysts predict that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at NextEra Energy

In related news, EVP Charles E. Sieving sold 23,684 shares of NextEra Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total value of $1,657,880.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 196,817 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,777,190. This trade represents a 10.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NextEra Energy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Tradition Wealth Management LLC grew its position in NextEra Energy by 2.2% in the first quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,625 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $470,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Accel Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Accel Wealth Management now owns 8,615 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $618,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. L.M. Kohn & Company boosted its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. L.M. Kohn & Company now owns 15,353 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,101,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 1,943 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $139,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC increased its position in NextEra Energy by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC now owns 11,666 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $836,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.72% of the company's stock.

About NextEra Energy

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.

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