NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation, nine have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $184.9091.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on NRG shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $202.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on NRG Energy from $198.00 to $181.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on NRG Energy from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th.

NRG Energy Price Performance

NRG stock opened at $161.81 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.19 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.45. NRG Energy has a 52-week low of $79.57 and a 52-week high of $180.54. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $155.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $159.84.

NRG Energy announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 6th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the utilities provider to purchase up to 9.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

NRG Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 2nd will be issued a $0.475 dividend. This is a boost from NRG Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.40%.

Insider Activity

In other NRG Energy news, VP Robert J. Gaudette sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president owned 63,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,147,939.20. The trade was a 41.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian Curci sold 46,976 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the vice president owned 46,113 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,324,588.92. The trade was a 50.46% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 172,556 shares of company stock valued at $27,550,446. Insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NRG Energy

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NRG. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 55.8% during the 4th quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,670 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,699,000 after buying an additional 3,823 shares during the period. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec boosted its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 7,468 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,189,000 after purchasing an additional 980 shares in the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC grew its stake in NRG Energy by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 5,156 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $821,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new stake in NRG Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $4,255,000. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 23.0% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 47,412 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,550,000 after buying an additional 8,878 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.72% of the company’s stock.

NRG Energy Company Profile

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.