NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) Downgraded to "Hold" Rating by Wall Street Zen

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

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $165.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. BMO Capital Markets restated a "market perform" rating and set a $167.00 target price (up previously from $115.00) on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on NRG Energy from $113.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $86.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $138.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $140.75.

NRG Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NRG traded down $0.36 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $155.11. The company had a trading volume of 545,149 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,024,651. NRG Energy has a 12-month low of $65.11 and a 12-month high of $161.78. The company has a fifty day moving average of $109.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $102.43. The company has a market cap of $30.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.95, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

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. NRG Energy had a return on equity of 48.96% and a net margin of 3.43%. The business had revenue of $8.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.31 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that NRG Energy will post 6.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Affinity Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in NRG Energy by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Affinity Wealth Management LLC now owns 42,748 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,857,000 after purchasing an additional 3,084 shares in the last quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $2,418,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 97.4% in the 4th quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 5,233 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $472,000 after acquiring an additional 2,582 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in NRG Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $545,000. 97.72% of the stock is 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.

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