NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) Hits New 52-Week Low on Analyst Downgrade

Shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday after Zacks Research downgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong sell rating. The company traded as low as $96.86 and last traded at $97.19, with a volume of 2822963 shares. The stock had previously closed at $100.37.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on NRG. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 target price on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $221.00 to $216.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $162.00 to $159.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 18th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of NRG Energy from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $226.00 to $211.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $198.21.

Insider Activity at NRG Energy

In related news, CAO Gerald Alfred Spencer sold 1,580 shares of NRG Energy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.93, for a total transaction of $191,069.40. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 6,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $751,338.09. The trade was a 20.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.43% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NRG Energy

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in NRG Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. EMC Capital Management purchased a new stake in NRG Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. SHP Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of NRG Energy by 50.0% during the first quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC now owns 219 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Altus USA Inc. purchased a new position in shares of NRG Energy in the second quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 97.72% of the company’s stock.

NRG Energy Trading Up 0.0%

The stock has a market cap of $20.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.67 and a beta of 1.18. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $116.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $134.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.17, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.20). NRG Energy had a return on equity of 52.95% and a net margin of 2.56%.The firm had revenue of $7.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.73 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. NRG Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-9.900 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 8.61 EPS for the current year.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Investors of record on Monday, August 3rd were given a $0.4750 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.26%.

About NRG Energy

NRG Energy, Inc (NYSE:NRG) is an integrated power and home services company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company produces and sells electricity and natural gas and provides energy-related products and services to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers.

NRG operates power generation assets that use a range of fuel sources, including natural gas, coal, nuclear power and renewable energy. It also develops and supports technologies such as battery storage and offers electricity, natural gas, renewable energy and energy-management services through retail brands including Reliant, Direct Energy, Green Mountain Energy and other regional providers.

In addition to its energy business, NRG provides smart-home, security, automation and related services through its Vivint operations.