Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of NextEra Energy Call Options (NYSE:NEE)

Key Points

• NextEra Energy saw unusually heavy bullish options activity, with traders purchasing 218,408 call options—about 1,083% above the average volume of 18,460.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with 17 Buy ratings and six Holds, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $100.33.
• NEE shares fell 0.8% to $83.51, while the company reported quarterly EPS of $1.15, exceeding estimates, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.6232 per share, representing a 3.0% annual yield.

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders bought 218,408 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 1,083% compared to the average volume of 18,460 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating on shares of NextEra Energy in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Bank of America cut their price objective on NextEra Energy from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on NextEra Energy from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $108.00 price objective on shares of NextEra Energy in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $94.00 price target on NextEra Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, NextEra Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $100.33.

NextEra Energy Stock Down 0.8%

NEE stock traded down $0.71 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $83.51. The stock had a trading volume of 8,641,354 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,498,074. The firm has a market cap of $174.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.67. The business has a 50-day moving average of $87.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $89.80. NextEra Energy has a 52-week low of $69.24 and a 52-week high of $98.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The utilities provider reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.04. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 12.28% and a net margin of 32.40%.The business had revenue of $7.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.05 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.4% compared to the same quarter last year. NextEra Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.920-4.020 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that NextEra Energy will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NextEra Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 28th will be given a dividend of $0.6232 per share. This represents a $2.49 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 28th. NextEra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.96%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NextEra Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in NextEra Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Kilter Group LLC bought a new stake in NextEra Energy in the second quarter worth $25,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in NextEra Energy in the second quarter worth $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 692.3% in the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 309 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of NextEra Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.72% of the company's stock.

About NextEra Energy

NextEra Energy, Inc NYSE: NEE, headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida, is a leading clean energy company with both regulated utility operations and competitive renewable generation businesses. The company's principal operating subsidiaries include Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), a regulated electric utility serving customers in Florida, and NextEra Energy Resources, which develops, constructs, owns and operates a large portfolio of wind, solar and energy storage projects. Together these businesses provide electricity supply, transmission and distribution services as well as utility-scale renewable generation and related services.

NextEra's activities cover the full lifecycle of power assets, from project development and construction to operation, maintenance and asset optimization.

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