NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) Sets New 1-Year High Following Analyst Upgrade

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $85.00 to $95.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock. NextEra Energy traded as high as $77.41 and last traded at $77.14, with a volume of 232010 shares. The stock had previously closed at $77.05.

Several other research analysts have also commented on NEE. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on NextEra Energy from $61.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on NextEra Energy from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $74.00 target price on shares of NextEra Energy in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on NextEra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $66.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $72.64.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Clear Investment Research LLC boosted its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 387.2% during the 4th quarter. Clear Investment Research LLC now owns 458 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in NextEra Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. American Capital Advisory LLC grew its position in NextEra Energy by 74.5% in the 1st quarter. American Capital Advisory LLC now owns 480 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the period. Stuart Chaussee & Associates Inc. raised its stake in NextEra Energy by 315.4% during the 4th quarter. Stuart Chaussee & Associates Inc. now owns 540 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 410 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of NextEra Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors own 78.72% of the company's stock.

NextEra Energy Trading Down 0.8 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $156.99 billion, a PE ratio of 20.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $64.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $60.72.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.11. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 11.72% and a net margin of 27.62%. The business had revenue of $5.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.28 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.84 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

NextEra Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 27th were paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 26th. This is a boost from NextEra Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. NextEra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.13%.

NextEra Energy Company Profile

NextEra Energy, Inc, through its subsidiaries, generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power to retail and wholesale customers in North America. The company generates electricity through wind, solar, nuclear,natural gas, and other clean energy. It also develops, constructs, and operates long-term contracted assets that consists of clean energy solutions, such as renewable generation facilities, battery storage projects, and electric transmission facilities; sells energy commodities; and owns, develops, constructs, manages and operates electric generation facilities in wholesale energy markets.