Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Has $346.86 Million Holdings in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc cut its holdings in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 4,838,284 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 464,099 shares during the period. NextEra Energy accounts for approximately 0.6% of Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $346,857,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in NextEra Energy by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 205,297,225 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $14,717,758,000 after purchasing an additional 2,090,538 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of NextEra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,484,197,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 43,778,016 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,129,132,000 after buying an additional 1,359,268 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 23,090,426 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,655,353,000 after buying an additional 2,030,331 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in NextEra Energy by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 14,523,786 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,041,210,000 after buying an additional 588,038 shares during the last quarter. 78.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NextEra Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:NEE opened at $68.34 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $140.68 billion, a PE ratio of 20.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $61.72 and a 12-month high of $86.10. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $68.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $71.73.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99. The business had revenue of $6.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.58 billion. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 28.06%. NextEra Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.91 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NextEra Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.5665 dividend. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This is an increase from NextEra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. NextEra Energy’s payout ratio is currently 84.64%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on NEE. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $102.00 to $97.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $89.00 target price on shares of NextEra Energy in a report on Thursday, March 20th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on NextEra Energy from $84.00 to $77.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of NextEra Energy in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised shares of NextEra Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $83.46.

Insider Transactions at NextEra Energy

In related news, CAO James Michael May sold 2,383 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.09, for a total transaction of $162,258.47. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 27,427 shares in the company, valued at $1,867,504.43. This represents a 7.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About NextEra Energy

NextEra Energy, Inc, through its subsidiaries, generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power to retail and wholesale customers in North America. The company generates electricity through wind, solar, nuclear,natural gas, and other clean energy. It also develops, constructs, and operates long-term contracted assets that consists of clean energy solutions, such as renewable generation facilities, battery storage projects, and electric transmission facilities; sells energy commodities; and owns, develops, constructs, manages and operates electric generation facilities in wholesale energy markets.