PFG Investments LLC Boosts Stock Position in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG)

PFG Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,433 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 205 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC’s holdings in NRG Energy were worth $761,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of NRG. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 74.7% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt purchased a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 100.4% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. 97.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NRG Energy Price Performance

NRG stock opened at $101.15 on Wednesday. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $51.26 and a 52-week high of $115.38. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $97.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $88.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.15.

NRG Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This is a boost from NRG Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on NRG. Citigroup increased their target price on NRG Energy from $84.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Guggenheim upped their price target on NRG Energy from $77.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded NRG Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $93.00 to $113.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on NRG Energy from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on NRG Energy from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $111.43.

Insider Transactions at NRG Energy

In related news, VP Robert J. Gaudette sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 64,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,891,191.68. This trade represents a 48.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Bruce Chung sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 69,454 shares in the company, valued at $6,780,794.02. This trade represents a 22.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

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.