Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) by 8.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 30,618 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,473 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $2,168,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. boosted its position in NextEra Energy by 64.0% in the 2nd quarter. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. now owns 369 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. Clear Investment Research LLC raised its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 387.2% during the fourth quarter. Clear Investment Research LLC now owns 458 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. American Capital Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 74.5% in the first quarter. American Capital Advisory LLC now owns 480 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the period. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new position in NextEra Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in NextEra Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors own 78.72% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on NEE. Mizuho downgraded NextEra Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $71.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $74.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $80.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at NextEra Energy

In related news, EVP Nicole J. Daggs sold 658 shares of NextEra Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.97, for a total transaction of $50,646.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,697. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

NextEra Energy Stock Performance

NEE opened at $80.64 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $165.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $74.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.01. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $47.15 and a 52-week high of $81.07.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The utilities provider reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.03. NextEra Energy had a net margin of 24.45% and a return on equity of 11.75%. The company had revenue of $6.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.88 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NextEra Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.55%. NextEra Energy’s payout ratio is presently 56.13%.

NextEra Energy Profile

NextEra Energy, Inc, through its subsidiaries, generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power to retail and wholesale customers in North America. The company generates electricity through wind, solar, nuclear,natural gas, and other clean energy. It also develops, constructs, and operates long-term contracted assets that consists of clean energy solutions, such as renewable generation facilities, battery storage projects, and electric transmission facilities; sells energy commodities; and owns, develops, constructs, manages and operates electric generation facilities in wholesale energy markets.