Donoghue Forlines LLC Lowers Stake in NRG Energy, Inc. $NRG

Donoghue Forlines LLC lessened its stake in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) by 67.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,232 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 18,788 shares during the period. Donoghue Forlines LLC’s holdings in NRG Energy were worth $1,495,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NRG. Aviva PLC boosted its position in NRG Energy by 9.7% during the second quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 155,392 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $24,953,000 after purchasing an additional 13,757 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of NRG Energy by 68.2% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 251,366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $40,364,000 after buying an additional 101,922 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the second quarter valued at about $418,000. Trek Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,368,000. Finally, First American Bank purchased a new position in shares of NRG Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,983,000. Institutional investors own 97.72% of the company’s stock.

NRG Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NRG opened at $152.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.45, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.05. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $160.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $160.00. The stock has a market cap of $29.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.73 and a beta of 1.25. NRG Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $79.57 and a one year high of $180.54.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.85. The firm had revenue of $7.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.53 billion. NRG Energy had a return on equity of 103.57% and a net margin of 4.84%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.90 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 EPS for the current year.

NRG Energy declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 6th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the utilities provider to repurchase up to 9.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 3rd were issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 3rd. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 26.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at NRG Energy

In related news, CFO Bruce Chung sold 12,383 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.56, for a total transaction of $1,938,682.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 79,147 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,391,254.32. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian Curci sold 46,976 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.84, for a total value of $7,461,667.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 46,113 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,324,588.92. This trade represents a 50.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 192,556 shares of company stock worth $30,826,846 over the last ninety days. 0.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on NRG shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $198.00 price objective on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on NRG Energy in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $211.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, NRG Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.