NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation, nine have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $184.9091.

NRG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on NRG Energy from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on NRG Energy from $202.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. 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 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Thursday, November 20th.

Insider Activity at NRG Energy

In other NRG Energy news, VP Brian Curci sold 46,976 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president owned 46,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this link. Also, CFO Bruce Chung sold 12,383 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 79,147 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,391,254.32. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 172,556 shares of company stock valued at $27,550,446. 0.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NRG Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in NRG Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $305,817,000. Holocene Advisors LP grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 767,014 shares during the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC lifted its stake in NRG Energy by 492.5% in the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 883,781 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $141,918,000 after purchasing an additional 734,624 shares during the last quarter. Consolidated Press International Holdings Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $98,360,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 4,470.7% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 614,524 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $99,521,000 after purchasing an additional 601,079 shares during the last quarter. 97.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

NRG Energy Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE NRG opened at $161.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.45, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.05. NRG Energy has a 52-week low of $79.57 and a 52-week high of $180.54. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $155.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $159.84. The stock has a market cap of $34.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.19 and a beta of 1.27.

NRG Energy declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, November 6th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the utilities provider to reacquire up to 9.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

NRG Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.475 per share. This is a boost from NRG Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.40%.

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.