NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $91.50.

NEE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $94.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Barclays raised their price objective on NextEra Energy from $84.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. New Street Research set a $84.00 target price on NextEra Energy in a research note on Monday, October 13th. HSBC boosted their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $94.00 to $95.00 in a report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Cowen started coverage on shares of NextEra Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock.

NextEra Energy Trading Up 1.8%

NextEra Energy stock opened at $83.65 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $174.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.64, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.74. NextEra Energy has a fifty-two week low of $61.72 and a fifty-two week high of $87.53. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $82.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $78.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.55.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $7.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.13 billion. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 12.42% and a net margin of 24.72%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.03 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that NextEra Energy will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NextEra Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 21st were issued a $0.5665 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 21st. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. NextEra Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other NextEra Energy news, CEO Armando Pimentel, Jr. sold 145,140 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.91, for a total transaction of $12,178,697.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 162,693 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,651,569.63. This represents a 47.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of NextEra Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Synergy Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 286.0% in the 3rd quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 22,028 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,594,000 after purchasing an additional 16,322 shares during the period. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in NextEra Energy by 6.5% in the second quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45,015 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,125,000 after acquiring an additional 2,767 shares during the period. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of NextEra Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $3,966,000. Dillon & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 8.4% during the 2nd quarter. Dillon & Associates Inc. now owns 68,246 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,709,000 after acquiring an additional 5,261 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Soltis Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 171.1% during the 2nd quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 12,114 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $841,000 after acquiring an additional 7,645 shares during the period. 78.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About NextEra Energy

NextEra Energy, Inc (NYSE: NEE), headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida, is a leading clean energy company with both regulated utility operations and competitive renewable generation businesses. The company’s principal operating subsidiaries include Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), a regulated electric utility serving customers in Florida, and NextEra Energy Resources, which develops, constructs, owns and operates a large portfolio of wind, solar and energy storage projects. Together these businesses provide electricity supply, transmission and distribution services as well as utility-scale renewable generation and related services.

NextEra’s activities cover the full lifecycle of power assets, from project development and construction to operation, maintenance and asset optimization.