NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) VP Sells $7,144,200.00 in Stock

NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) VP Robert Gaudette sold 45,000 shares of NRG Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,147,939.20. This represents a 41.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

NRG Energy Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE NRG traded down $1.99 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $159.61. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,038,562 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,689,287. NRG Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.57 and a twelve month high of $180.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.86 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $164.75 and a 200 day moving average of $160.36.

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

NRG Energy declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback 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 buy up to 9.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 3rd were paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 3rd. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on NRG. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock 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 note on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $198.00 target price on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Scotiabank started coverage on NRG Energy in a report on Monday, September 22nd. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $212.00 price target for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $199.21.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NRG Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Aviva PLC increased its position in shares of NRG Energy by 9.7% in the second quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 155,392 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $24,953,000 after purchasing an additional 13,757 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in NRG Energy by 68.2% in the 2nd 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 period. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of NRG Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $418,000. Trek Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,368,000. Finally, Morningstar Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $244,000. 97.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.