National Pension Service Has $97.06 Million Stock Position in NRG Energy, Inc. $NRG

National Pension Service raised its stake in shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) by 12.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 599,300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 65,933 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in NRG Energy were worth $97,057,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in NRG Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new position in NRG Energy during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in NRG Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Kiker Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in NRG Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors own 97.72% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at NRG Energy

In other news, VP Robert J. Gaudette sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.76, for a total value of $7,144,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 63,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,147,939.20. The trade was a 41.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Brian Curci sold 60,580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the vice president owned 93,089 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,053,422.19. The trade was a 39.42% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 192,556 shares of company stock valued at $30,826,846 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

NRG Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NRG opened at $152.46 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $158.34 and a 200 day moving average of $159.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.45. The stock has a market cap of $29.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.79 and a beta of 1.25. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $79.57 and a 12 month high of $180.54.

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. The company had revenue of $7.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.53 billion. NRG Energy had a return on equity of 103.57% and a net margin of 4.84%.During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.90 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NRG Energy announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 6th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the utilities provider to buy up to 9.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is 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 paid a $0.475 dividend. This is an increase from NRG Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 2nd. NRG Energy’s payout ratio is currently 26.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on NRG shares. Zacks Research lowered NRG Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. Morgan Stanley restated an “underperform” rating on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $211.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $184.91.

NRG Energy 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.