Analysts Set NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Price Target at $160.30

Key Points

• NRG Energy, Inc. has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from ten analysts, with an average 12-month price target of $160.30.
• The company reported earnings of $2.62 per share, significantly exceeding the consensus estimate, and had revenue of $8.59 billion for the quarter, reflecting a 15.6% increase from the previous year.
• NRG recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, with an annualized yield of 1.12% and a payout ratio of 28.39%.

Shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the ten research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $160.30.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on NRG. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on NRG Energy in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $195.00 price target on the stock. Barclays set a $197.00 target price on shares of NRG Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $113.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on NRG Energy in a research note on Friday, April 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $129.00 price target for the company. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $138.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th.

NRG Energy Trading Up 1.2%

NRG stock traded up $1.92 during trading on Monday, reaching $158.51. The company had a trading volume of 2,071,534 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,545,561. The company has a market cap of $30.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.57, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a 50 day moving average of $154.66 and a 200 day moving average of $122.57. NRG Energy has a 52 week low of $65.11 and a 52 week high of $168.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.61, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The utilities provider reported $2.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $1.90. NRG Energy had a net margin of 4.66% and a return on equity of 73.78%. The firm had revenue of $8.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.31 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that NRG Energy will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 1st will be given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 1st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.11%. NRG Energy's payout ratio is presently 28.39%.

Insider Activity at NRG Energy

In related news, Director Kevin Howell sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.50, for a total transaction of $7,725,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 55,427 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,563,471.50. This represents a 47.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.61% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NRG Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of NRG Energy by 468.4% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,757,735 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $454,173,000 after acquiring an additional 6,049,247 shares during the period. Amundi raised its holdings in NRG Energy by 772.5% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 4,378,022 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $406,342,000 after acquiring an additional 3,876,235 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its stake in NRG Energy by 169.5% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,817,018 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $269,230,000 after buying an additional 1,771,829 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in NRG Energy during the first quarter worth about $93,075,000. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in shares of NRG Energy by 289.1% during the 1st quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,023,168 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $97,672,000 after buying an additional 760,201 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.72% of the company's stock.

About NRG Energy

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.