NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) Hits New 12-Month High on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday after Guggenheim raised their price target on the stock from $134.00 to $145.00. Guggenheim currently has a buy rating on the stock. NRG Energy traded as high as $117.44 and last traded at $113.44, with a volume of 18491 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $113.33.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised NRG Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $93.00 to $113.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on NRG Energy from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on NRG Energy from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on NRG Energy from $86.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on NRG Energy from $84.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.14.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Robert J. Gaudette sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.41, for a total value of $5,484,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 64,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,891,191.68. This represents a 48.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Bruce Chung sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 69,454 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,780,794.02. The trade was a 22.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.61% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NRG. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 27.3% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,863 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $534,000 after purchasing an additional 1,256 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in NRG Energy by 27,231.5% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 146,770 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $13,371,000 after buying an additional 146,233 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its position in NRG Energy by 5.7% in the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 23,978 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,184,000 after buying an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 4.8% in the third quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 5,880 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $536,000 after buying an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of NRG Energy by 72.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 91,484 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $8,334,000 after acquiring an additional 38,286 shares during the last quarter. 97.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NRG Energy Trading Down 7.3 %

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $101.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $93.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.17.

NRG Energy Increases Dividend

The business 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 1.68%. This is an increase from NRG Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.22%.

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.