NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Stock Holdings Increased by LPL Financial LLC

LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) by 19.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 221,039 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 36,181 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in NRG Energy were worth $19,942,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in NRG Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $549,000. Meyer Handelman Co. raised its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 43.8% during the fourth quarter. Meyer Handelman Co. now owns 78,982 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,126,000 after acquiring an additional 24,062 shares during the period. Luxor Capital Group LP lifted its position in shares of NRG Energy by 47.8% in the 3rd quarter. Luxor Capital Group LP now owns 520,591 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $47,426,000 after acquiring an additional 168,267 shares in the last quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co boosted its stake in NRG Energy by 25.1% in the 3rd quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 50,027 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,557,000 after purchasing an additional 10,031 shares during the period. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new position in NRG Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,340,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.72% of the company’s stock.

NRG Energy Price Performance

Shares of NRG opened at $95.62 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market cap of $19.47 billion, a PE ratio of 24.03, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.13. NRG Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $65.11 and a twelve month high of $117.26. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $101.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $95.91.

NRG Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. This is a positive change from NRG Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. NRG Energy’s payout ratio is presently 35.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NRG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on NRG Energy from $86.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com cut NRG Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 8th. Evercore ISI raised shares of NRG Energy from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $74.00 to $126.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $134.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Robert J. Gaudette sold 60,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.41, for a total value of $5,484,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 64,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,891,191.68. The trade was a 48.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Bruce Chung sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.63, for a total value of $1,952,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 69,454 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,780,794.02. This trade represents a 22.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.86% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.