NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) Rating Increased to Hold at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report published on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $198.00 to $181.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $202.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $211.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $188.45.

NRG Energy Stock Up 4.6%

NYSE NRG opened at $184.66 on Monday. NRG Energy has a 12 month low of $79.57 and a 12 month high of $184.84. The company has a market capitalization of $39.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.60 and a beta of 1.27. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $157.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $160.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.45, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by ($0.15). The business had revenue of $7.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.68 billion. NRG Energy had a return on equity of 103.57% and a net margin of 4.84%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.56 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that NRG Energy will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NRG Energy declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 6th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the utilities provider to buy up to 9.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

NRG Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 2nd were given a dividend of $0.475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 2nd. This is a boost from NRG Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. NRG Energy’s payout ratio is presently 28.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling at NRG Energy

In other news, VP Brian Curci sold 46,976 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.84, for a total transaction of $7,461,667.84. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 46,113 shares in the company, valued at $7,324,588.92. The trade was a 50.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 79,147 shares in the company, valued at $12,391,254.32. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 172,556 shares of company stock valued at $27,550,446 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NRG Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in NRG Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in NRG Energy in the second quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Core Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in NRG Energy during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors own 97.72% of the company’s stock.

NRG Energy News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting NRG Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and cash-flow beat — Q4 revenue came in well above estimates and full‑year adjusted results showed strong cash generation and EBITDA, supporting the company’s ability to fund growth and returns. NRG Energy, Inc. Reports Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management set an ambitious target — NRG is targeting ~14% annual EPS growth through 2030 and said LS Power integration is outperforming expectations, which drove investor optimism about long‑term earnings power. NRG targets 14% annual EPS growth through 2030 as LS Power integration outperforms
• Positive Sentiment: Capacity and growth execution — Management highlighted that the company has materially expanded generation capacity (doubling its footprint), supporting higher contracted sales and data‑center deals that underpin the growth outlook. NRG Energy Doubles Generation Capacity and Targets 14% EPS Growth Through 2030
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings metrics are mixed — Some outlets report a modest EPS beat on adjusted basis (Zacks: $1.03 vs $1.01 est.), while GAAP and some consensus figures show variance; investors are parsing adjusted vs. GAAP differences. NRG Energy (NRG) Beats Q4 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance & shareholder returns — Management boosted shareholder return initiatives and provided 2026 guidance/longer-term targets; market impact depends on execution against those targets. NRG Energy Q4 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Expectations
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP profit and EPS weakness — GAAP net income and reported EPS declined year‑over‑year (Q4 GAAP net income was relatively small), which keeps a portion of investors cautious about underlying profitability. NRG Posts Lower 4Q Profit Despite Increasing Demand
• Negative Sentiment: High leverage and execution risk — The company carries meaningful debt levels and investors will watch free‑cash‑flow conversion and integration execution to validate the growth targets; missed execution could reverse sentiment.

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.