NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) Rating Lowered to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Thursday.

NRG has been the subject of a number of other reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $113.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $167.00 price target (up from $115.00) on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $138.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $129.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $86.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $140.75.

NRG Energy Price Performance

NRG traded down $1.41 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $156.41. 979,150 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,014,639. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.58 billion, a PE ratio of 39.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.00. NRG Energy has a 1-year low of $65.11 and a 1-year high of $161.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The business's 50-day moving average price is $113.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $103.92.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The utilities provider reported $2.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by $1.90. The business had revenue of $8.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.28 billion. NRG Energy had a net margin of 3.43% and a return on equity of 48.96%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 15.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.31 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that NRG Energy will post 6.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NRG Energy

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in NRG Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Key Financial Inc purchased a new stake in NRG Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in NRG Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Evermay Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in NRG Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in NRG Energy by 100.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the period. 97.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.