NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) Stock Price Down 6.2% After Insider Selling

NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG)’s stock price dropped 6.2% during trading on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $149.81 and last traded at $149.80. Approximately 1,214,494 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 22% from the average daily volume of 1,557,920 shares. The stock had previously closed at $159.63.

Specifically, VP Brian Curci sold 46,976 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.84, for a total value of $7,461,667.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 46,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,324,588.92. This represents a 50.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Brian Curci sold 60,580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total value of $9,796,391.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 93,089 shares in the company, valued at $15,053,422.19. The trade was a 39.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In related news, CFO Bruce Chung sold 7,617 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.79, for a total transaction of $1,209,503.43. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 91,530 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,534,048.70. This trade represents a 7.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on NRG shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on NRG Energy from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Scotiabank began coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Monday, September 22nd. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $212.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of NRG Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of NRG Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NRG Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $199.21.

Key Stories Impacting NRG Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board-authorized $3.0 billion share buyback remains a material positive for shareholder value and signals management believes the shares are undervalued. MarketBeat NRG profile
• Positive Sentiment: NRG reported a notable earnings beat in November (quarterly EPS $2.78 vs. $1.93 consensus) and rising revenue, supporting forward earnings expectations. Earnings/summary
• Neutral Sentiment: The board announced an orderly succession plan naming longtime insider Robert J. Gaudette to become CEO effective April 30, 2026; the measured timing reduces immediate governance risk but creates near-term uncertainty about strategic direction. Business Wire: Succession plan
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: several outlets reported the stock fell following the CEO succession announcement, suggesting investors are uncertain about the leadership change or timing. Investing.com: Stock falls on succession
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Bruce Chung disclosed multiple share sales (most recently 12,383 shares on Jan 7 at about $156.56), reducing his stake by ~13.5%; sizable insider selling can be perceived negatively by investors. SEC filing: CFO sale

NRG Energy Trading Down 3.6%

The stock has a market cap of $27.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.46 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.45, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.05. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $163.32 and its 200 day moving average is $160.21.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.85. NRG Energy had a return on equity of 103.57% and a net margin of 4.84%.The business had revenue of $7.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.53 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.90 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NRG Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 1.2%. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.31%.

NRG Energy announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, November 6th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the utilities provider to repurchase up to 9.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of NRG Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in NRG Energy by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,411,045 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $865,437,000 after buying an additional 39,253 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of NRG Energy by 0.6% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,880,954 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $790,471,000 after acquiring an additional 31,238 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 113.3% in the second quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 1,444,271 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $231,921,000 after purchasing an additional 767,014 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in NRG Energy by 42.7% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,368,824 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $221,671,000 after purchasing an additional 409,776 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group increased its holdings in NRG Energy by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,225,329 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $198,442,000 after purchasing an additional 86,528 shares during the period. 97.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

NRG Energy Company Profile

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.