J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Reduces Holdings in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG trimmed its stake in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) by 6.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 43,417 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,230 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $3,078,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of NEE. Somerset Trust Co increased its stake in NextEra Energy by 5.2% in the first quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 89,709 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,359,000 after purchasing an additional 4,445 shares during the period. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in NextEra Energy in the first quarter valued at $783,000. Viking Fund Management LLC increased its stake in NextEra Energy by 67.8% in the first quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 495,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $35,091,000 after purchasing an additional 200,000 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its stake in NextEra Energy by 2.2% in the first quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 385,592 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,335,000 after purchasing an additional 8,472 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in NextEra Energy by 20.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 34,681 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,459,000 after purchasing an additional 5,949 shares during the period. 78.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on NEE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $86.00 to $82.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 3rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. HSBC lowered their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $88.00 to $86.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 11th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of NextEra Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.42.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other NextEra Energy news, EVP Robert Coffey sold 7,500 shares of NextEra Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.84, for a total transaction of $538,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 26,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,906,561.76. The trade was a 22.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Treasurer James Michael May sold 2,177 shares of NextEra Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.50, for a total transaction of $168,717.50. Following the transaction, the treasurer owned 27,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,143,805. The trade was a 7.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 33,361 shares of company stock worth $2,365,398. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

NextEra Energy Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE NEE opened at $70.41 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $61.72 and a 52 week high of $86.10. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $72.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.63.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The utilities provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.52 billion. NextEra Energy had a net margin of 22.84% and a return on equity of 12.31%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.96 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NextEra Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 28th will be given a dividend of $0.5665 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 28th. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. NextEra Energy’s payout ratio is presently 79.37%.

About NextEra Energy

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.