NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) Coverage Initiated at Raymond James

Research analysts at Raymond James began coverage on shares of NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) in a research note issued on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage set a "strong-buy" rating and a $195.00 price target on the utilities provider's stock. Raymond James' price objective would suggest a potential upside of 28.45% from the stock's current price.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $113.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on NRG Energy from $86.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on NRG Energy in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $129.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $138.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of NRG Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. 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. According to MarketBeat.com, NRG Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $146.78.

NRG Energy Price Performance

NRG stock traded up $0.81 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $151.81. 2,257,409 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,989,128. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $128.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $109.27. NRG Energy has a 12 month low of $65.11 and a 12 month high of $162.33. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $29.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.14, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.13.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The utilities provider reported $2.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $8.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.31 earnings per share. NRG Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that NRG Energy will post 6.36 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at NRG Energy

In related news, Director Kevin Howell sold 50,000 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 55,427 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,563,471.50. This represents a 47.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.86% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Horizon Investments LLC raised its holdings in NRG Energy by 3.0% in the first quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 2,908 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $276,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. lifted its position in NRG Energy by 12.1% during the 1st quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 900 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $86,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. boosted its stake in NRG Energy by 13.0% during the first quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 904 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $86,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in NRG Energy by 8.7% in the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,482 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $141,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. Finally, Schechter Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,916 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,436,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.72% of the company's stock.

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.