NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) Sets New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $124.84 and last traded at $126.6920, with a volume of 102214 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $127.81.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $203.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $232.00 target price for the company. Zacks Research raised shares of NRG Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Friday, March 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $197.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $202.00 to $206.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, NRG Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $199.46.

NRG Energy Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The stock has a market cap of $26.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 148.26 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $152.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $158.97.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.78 by ($0.30). The firm had revenue of $10.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.43 billion. NRG Energy had a net margin of 0.74% and a return on equity of 70.67%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 19.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.68 EPS. NRG Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-9.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 8.94 EPS for the current year.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a dividend of $0.475 per share. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 223.53%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Virginia Kinney sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.65, for a total value of $783,250.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 55,495 shares in the company, valued at $8,693,291.75. This trade represents a 8.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NRG Energy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of NRG. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new position in NRG Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in NRG Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its stake in NRG Energy by 90.4% during the 3rd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 179 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. 97.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

NRG Energy Company Profile

NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG) is a U.S.-based integrated power company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company develops, owns and operates a diversified portfolio of power generation assets and participates in wholesale and retail energy markets. NRG supplies electricity to utilities, commercial and industrial customers, and retail consumers, while also providing energy-related products and services designed to manage consumption and support reliability.

NRG’s generation mix includes conventional thermal plants as well as renewable and distributed energy resources.