NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) Now Covered by Analysts at Raymond James

Equities research analysts at Raymond James began coverage on shares of NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) in a report released on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm set a "strong-buy" rating and a $195.00 price target on the utilities provider's stock. Raymond James' price target would indicate a potential upside of 26.74% from the stock's previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Guggenheim raised their price target on NRG Energy from $138.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of NRG Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. BMO Capital Markets restated a "market perform" rating and set a $167.00 price target (up previously from $115.00) on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $129.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $165.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, NRG Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $146.78.

NRG Energy Trading Up 1.2%

NYSE NRG traded up $1.82 on Friday, hitting $153.86. 2,521,760 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,989,673. NRG Energy has a twelve month low of $65.11 and a twelve month high of $162.33. The company's 50 day moving average price is $130.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $109.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.13. 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 released its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The utilities provider reported $2.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by $1.90. NRG Energy had a net margin of 3.43% and a return on equity of 48.96%. The company had revenue of $8.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.31 EPS. The company's revenue was up 15.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that NRG Energy will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at NRG Energy

In related news, Director Kevin Howell sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.50, for a total value of $7,725,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 55,427 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,563,471.50. The trade was a 47.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NRG Energy

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its position in shares of NRG Energy by 97.4% during the 4th quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 5,233 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $472,000 after purchasing an additional 2,582 shares in the last quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in NRG Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $276,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its stake in NRG Energy by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 99,317 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $8,960,000 after buying an additional 2,462 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 85.0% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,817 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $164,000 after acquiring an additional 835 shares during the last quarter. 97.72% of the stock is currently owned by 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.