NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $102.71.

Several research firms recently issued reports on NRG. Citigroup lifted their price objective on NRG Energy from $84.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Guggenheim lifted their target price on NRG Energy from $77.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. StockNews.com cut NRG Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 2nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on NRG Energy from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th.

NRG Energy Stock Performance

NYSE NRG opened at $94.98 on Friday. NRG Energy has a fifty-two week low of $47.88 and a fifty-two week high of $103.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.86, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.12. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $92.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $84.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.17.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st were given a dividend of $0.4075 per share. This represents a $1.63 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. NRG Energy’s payout ratio is currently 40.95%.

Institutional Trading of NRG Energy

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Diversified Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $228,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in NRG Energy by 10.1% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 34,165 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,660,000 after buying an additional 3,125 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its position in shares of NRG Energy by 54.7% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 7,549 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $588,000 after buying an additional 2,669 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of NRG Energy by 457.7% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,740 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $135,000 after purchasing an additional 1,428 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 2,792.5% during the second quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 1,938 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $151,000 after acquiring an additional 1,871 shares during the last quarter. 97.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About NRG Energy

NRG Energy, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy and home services company in the United States and Canada. It operates through Texas; East; West/Services/Other; Vivint Smart Home; and Corporate Activities segments. The company produces and sells electricity generated using coal, oil, solar, and battery storage; natural gas; and a cloud-based home platform, including hardware, software, sales, installation, customer service, technical support, and professional monitoring solutions.