Brokerages Set NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Target Price at $134.25

Shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $140.75.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on NRG shares. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $167.00 price target (up from $115.00) on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com cut shares of NRG Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 8th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of NRG Energy from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $74.00 to $126.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $165.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday.

NRG Energy Trading Up 2.7%

NYSE NRG opened at $159.18 on Wednesday. NRG Energy has a twelve month low of $65.11 and a twelve month high of $159.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market cap of $32.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.00, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $105.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $100.98.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The utilities provider reported $2.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $1.90. NRG Energy had a net margin of 3.43% and a return on equity of 48.96%. The firm had revenue of $8.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.31 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that NRG Energy will post 6.36 EPS for the current year.

NRG Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 1st were paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 1st. NRG Energy’s payout ratio is presently 28.39%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NRG Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Key Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in NRG Energy during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Evermay Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in NRG Energy during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in NRG Energy by 100.4% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.72% of the company’s stock.

NRG Energy Company Profile

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.