NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Sixteen analysts give NRG an average rating of "Moderate Buy" (11 buys, 4 holds, 1 strong buy) with a mean 1‑year price target of $197.21, implying significant upside from the recent ~$155 share price.
• Quarterly results: NRG reported EPS of $1.04, missing estimates of $1.19, while revenue beat at $7.75B versus $6.68B expected and rose 13.7% year‑over‑year.
• Capital actions and ownership: The company declared a $0.475 quarterly dividend (annualized $1.90, yield 1.2%, ex‑dividend May 1); VP Virginia Kinney sold 5,000 shares for $783,250, insiders own 0.43% and institutions hold 97.72% of the stock.

NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the sixteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $197.2143.

A number of analysts have issued reports on NRG shares. Weiss Ratings lowered NRG Energy from a "buy (b)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Barclays cut their price objective on NRG Energy from $203.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Zacks Research upgraded NRG Energy from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on NRG Energy from $198.00 to $181.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $210.00 price objective on NRG Energy in a report on Monday.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Virginia Kinney sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.65, for a total value of $783,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 55,495 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,693,291.75. This trade represents a 8.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.43% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NRG Energy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT grew its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 5.2% in the first quarter. CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT now owns 170,500 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $24,917,000 after buying an additional 8,500 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the first quarter valued at about $873,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors grew its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 37.2% in the first quarter. Ascentis Independent Advisors now owns 2,143 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $313,000 after buying an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. grew its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 7.6% in the first quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. now owns 3,285 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $526,000 after buying an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Praxis Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 13.0% in the first quarter. Praxis Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,199 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $906,000 after buying an additional 711 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.72% of the company's stock.

NRG Energy Stock Down 3.2%

NRG opened at $154.99 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.92. The firm has a market cap of $33.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.34 and a beta of 1.35. NRG Energy has a 52 week low of $105.30 and a 52 week high of $189.96. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $159.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $160.94.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by ($0.15). NRG Energy had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 109.48%. The company had revenue of $7.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.56 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that NRG Energy will post 8.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st will be issued a $0.475 dividend. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 1st. NRG Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.22%.

NRG Energy Company Profile

NRG Energy NYSE: NRG is a U.S.-based integrated power company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company develops, owns and operates a diversified portfolio of power generation assets and participates in wholesale and retail energy markets. NRG supplies electricity to utilities, commercial and industrial customers, and retail consumers, while also providing energy-related products and services designed to manage consumption and support reliability.

NRG's generation mix includes conventional thermal plants as well as renewable and distributed energy resources.

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