Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Invests $25.27 Million in NRG Energy, Inc. $NRG

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 156,021 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $25,268,000. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of NRG Energy at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Aviva PLC grew its position in shares of NRG Energy by 9.7% during the second quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 155,392 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $24,953,000 after buying an additional 13,757 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in NRG Energy by 68.2% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 251,366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $40,364,000 after acquiring an additional 101,922 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in NRG Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $418,000. Trek Financial LLC acquired a new position in NRG Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $3,368,000. Finally, Achmea Investment Management B.V. increased its position in shares of NRG Energy by 26.1% in the 2nd quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 183,603 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,482,000 after purchasing an additional 38,003 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.72% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Robert J. Gaudette sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.76, for a total transaction of $7,144,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 63,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,147,939.20. The trade was a 41.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Bruce Chung sold 12,383 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.56, for a total value of $1,938,682.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 79,147 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,391,254.32. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 192,556 shares of company stock valued at $30,826,846. Company insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

NRG Energy News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting NRG Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board-authorized $3.0 billion share buyback remains a material positive for shareholder value and signals management believes the shares are undervalued. MarketBeat NRG profile
• Positive Sentiment: NRG reported a notable earnings beat in November (quarterly EPS $2.78 vs. $1.93 consensus) and rising revenue, supporting forward earnings expectations. Earnings/summary
• Neutral Sentiment: The board announced an orderly succession plan naming longtime insider Robert J. Gaudette to become CEO effective April 30, 2026; the measured timing reduces immediate governance risk but creates near-term uncertainty about strategic direction. Business Wire: Succession plan
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: several outlets reported the stock fell following the CEO succession announcement, suggesting investors are uncertain about the leadership change or timing. Investing.com: Stock falls on succession
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Bruce Chung disclosed multiple share sales (most recently 12,383 shares on Jan 7 at about $156.56), reducing his stake by ~13.5%; sizable insider selling can be perceived negatively by investors. SEC filing: CFO sale

NRG Energy Trading Down 3.6%

Shares of NYSE NRG opened at $143.56 on Friday. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $79.57 and a 12-month high of $180.54. The company has a market cap of $27.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.46 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.45. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $163.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $160.21.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.85. NRG Energy had a return on equity of 103.57% and a net margin of 4.84%.The firm had revenue of $7.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.53 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.90 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 EPS for the current year.

NRG Energy declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 6th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the utilities provider to purchase up to 9.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

NRG Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 17th. Investors of record on Monday, November 3rd were given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 3rd. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NRG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group started coverage on NRG Energy in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $211.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $198.00 price objective on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of NRG Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $199.21.

About NRG Energy

NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG) is a U.S.-based integrated power company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company develops, owns and operates a diversified portfolio of power generation assets and participates in wholesale and retail energy markets. NRG supplies electricity to utilities, commercial and industrial customers, and retail consumers, while also providing energy-related products and services designed to manage consumption and support reliability.

NRG’s generation mix includes conventional thermal plants as well as renewable and distributed energy resources.