MUFG Securities EMEA plc Decreases Stake in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG)

MUFG Securities EMEA plc lowered its position in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) by 15.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 94,999 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 17,000 shares during the quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc’s holdings in NRG Energy were worth $9,069,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NRG. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in NRG Energy by 468.4% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,757,735 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $454,173,000 after acquiring an additional 6,049,247 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in NRG Energy by 10,483.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 661,347 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $63,132,000 after buying an additional 655,098 shares in the last quarter. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC purchased a new position in NRG Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $54,881,000. Bridgewater Associates LP grew its holdings in NRG Energy by 47.3% during the 4th quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 1,185,365 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $106,944,000 after buying an additional 380,564 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in NRG Energy by 119.1% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 677,894 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $61,161,000 after buying an additional 368,473 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.72% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on NRG shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on NRG Energy from $113.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Citigroup lifted their target price on NRG Energy from $133.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Barclays lifted their target price on NRG Energy from $197.00 to $203.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen lowered NRG Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on NRG Energy from $165.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.70.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Kevin Howell sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.50, for a total value of $7,725,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 55,427 shares in the company, valued at $8,563,471.50. The trade was a 47.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.

NRG Energy Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE NRG opened at $152.72 on Friday. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.13 and a 12 month high of $175.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.10, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a 50-day moving average of $155.73 and a 200-day moving average of $125.95.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.72 by ($0.04). NRG Energy had a return on equity of 88.22% and a net margin of 1.78%. The business had revenue of $6.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.63 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.37 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 1st will be given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 1st. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. NRG Energy’s payout ratio is presently 79.64%.

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.