NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Short Interest Up 17.9% in April

Key Points

• Short interest jumped 17.9% in April to 5,004,865 shares as of April 15, equal to about 2.3% of shares outstanding and a 2.1 days-to-cover ratio.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.475 per share (annualized $1.90) with an ex-dividend date of May 1 and a yield of about 1.3%.
• NRG missed Q4 EPS at $1.04 (vs. $1.19 consensus) while reporting revenue of $7.75 billion that topped estimates, and analysts hold a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average target of $197.21.

NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 5,004,865 shares, a growth of 17.9% from the March 31st total of 4,245,017 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,371,292 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days. Approximately 2.3% of the company's shares are sold short.

Insider Activity at NRG Energy

In other news, VP Virginia Kinney sold 5,000 shares of NRG Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.65, for a total transaction of $783,250.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 55,495 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,693,291.75. This trade represents a 8.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.43% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NRG Energy

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in NRG Energy in the third quarter worth $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in NRG Energy in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its position in shares of NRG Energy by 90.4% during the 3rd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 179 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.72% of the company's stock.

NRG Energy Trading Down 3.8%

NYSE NRG opened at $148.93 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $31.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.80 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 has a 50 day moving average price of $159.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $160.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.92.

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

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.475 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 1st. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. NRG Energy's dividend payout ratio is 48.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NRG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays cut their price target on NRG Energy from $203.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Evercore assumed coverage on NRG Energy in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on NRG Energy in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $232.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on NRG Energy from $157.00 to $154.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $210.00 target price on NRG Energy in a report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $197.21.

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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