Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $73.76 Million Holdings in NRG Energy, Inc. $NRG

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lessened its stake in shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) by 38.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 463,213 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 285,729 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.24% of NRG Energy worth $73,762,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NRG. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in NRG Energy during the third quarter worth $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 90.4% in the 3rd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 179 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. BOKF NA increased its position in shares of NRG Energy by 3,714.3% during the 3rd quarter. BOKF NA now owns 267 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in NRG Energy by 1,970.6% during the 3rd quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 352 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. 97.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

NRG Energy Trading Down 0.5%

NRG opened at $151.01 on Wednesday. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $79.57 and a 1-year high of $189.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.40 billion, a PE ratio of 38.33 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.92. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $159.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $162.21.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by ($0.15). NRG Energy had a return on equity of 109.48% and a net margin of 2.81%.The company had revenue of $7.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.56 earnings per share. NRG Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NRG Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. This is a positive change from NRG Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.22%.

Insider Transactions at NRG Energy

In other news, CFO Bruce Chung sold 12,383 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.56, for a total transaction of $1,938,682.48. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 79,147 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,391,254.32. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Robert J. Gaudette sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.76, for a total value of $7,144,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 63,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,147,939.20. This represents a 41.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 177,556 shares of company stock valued at $28,333,696 over the last 90 days. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NRG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $198.00 to $181.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of NRG Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Evercore started coverage on NRG Energy in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 target price on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on NRG Energy in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $232.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on NRG Energy from $202.00 to $206.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $198.43.

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.