NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $59.50.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on NRG shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Citigroup upped their target price on NRG Energy from $52.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. Evercore ISI raised their target price on NRG Energy from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $51.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th.

NRG Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NRG opened at $76.65 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.46 billion, a PE ratio of -71.63 and a beta of 1.11. NRG Energy has a 12 month low of $30.52 and a 12 month high of $77.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.49, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The business has a 50-day moving average of $66.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $55.10.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The utilities provider reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.51 billion. NRG Energy had a negative net margin of 0.70% and a positive return on equity of 44.03%. As a group, research analysts forecast that NRG Energy will post 5.36 earnings per share for the current year.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 1st will be issued a $0.4075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 30th. This represents a $1.63 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently -152.34%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Rasesh M. Patel sold 49,092 shares of NRG Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.59, for a total value of $3,072,668.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 356,962 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,342,251.58. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.86% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NRG Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 0.9% in the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 91,313 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,517,000 after purchasing an additional 780 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its stake in NRG Energy by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 43,505 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,676,000 after acquiring an additional 2,394 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in NRG Energy by 63.6% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 168,949 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,508,000 after acquiring an additional 65,706 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 0.6% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 57,044 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,197,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 3.4% during the third quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 482,484 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $18,262,000 after purchasing an additional 15,863 shares during the period. 97.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.