The Goldman Sachs Group Begins Coverage on NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG)

Research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) in a report released on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm set a “buy” rating and a $129.00 price target on the utilities provider’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 54.71% from the stock’s previous close.

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

NRG Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NRG Energy stock opened at $83.38 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $100.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $96.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57. The company has a market capitalization of $16.98 billion, a PE ratio of 20.95, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.10. NRG Energy has a 12 month low of $65.11 and a 12 month high of $117.26.

Insider Activity at NRG Energy

In other news, CFO Bruce Chung sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.63, for a total transaction of $1,952,600.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 69,454 shares in the company, valued at $6,780,794.02. This represents a 22.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NRG Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in NRG Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in NRG Energy by 100.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in NRG Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its position in NRG Energy by 414.9% during the fourth quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 484 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in NRG Energy by 221.0% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 504 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the period. 97.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.