NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) Research Coverage Started at The Goldman Sachs Group

The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) in a report issued on Friday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $129.00 price objective on the utilities provider’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $86.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on NRG Energy from $134.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Evercore ISI upgraded NRG Energy from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $74.00 to $126.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com downgraded NRG Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $124.00.

NRG Energy Stock Down 10.1 %

NRG stock opened at $83.38 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.98 billion, a PE ratio of 20.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.10. NRG Energy has a 52 week low of $65.11 and a 52 week high of $117.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $100.23 and a 200 day moving average of $96.28.

NRG Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. This is a positive change from NRG Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. NRG Energy’s payout ratio is 35.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Bruce Chung sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.63, for a total value of $1,952,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 69,454 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,780,794.02. This represents a 22.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.86% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of NRG Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in NRG Energy by 75.1% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,702 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $258,000 after acquiring an additional 1,159 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in shares of NRG Energy by 52.7% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,072 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 241,786 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $21,814,000 after purchasing an additional 22,133 shares in the last quarter. 111 Capital purchased a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $242,000. Finally, Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH purchased a new position in NRG Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $212,000. 97.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.