Vaughan David Investments LLC IL Boosts Stock Position in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Vaughan David Investments LLC IL lifted its position in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 690,132 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,748 shares during the quarter. NextEra Energy accounts for about 1.2% of Vaughan David Investments LLC IL’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL’s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $49,476,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Howard Capital Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 299,215 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,293,000 after acquiring an additional 5,409 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its position in NextEra Energy by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 30,720 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,597,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in NextEra Energy by 60.6% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,102 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $93,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares during the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its position in NextEra Energy by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 39,721 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,358,000 after purchasing an additional 449 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First American Bank grew its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter. First American Bank now owns 5,777 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $488,000 after acquiring an additional 812 shares during the period. 78.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NextEra Energy Trading Down 1.2 %

NEE opened at $70.72 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $145.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.58. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $53.95 and a 12 month high of $86.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $70.48 and a 200 day moving average of $76.50.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The utilities provider reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.53. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 28.06%. As a group, research analysts forecast that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current year.

NextEra Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.5665 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. This is an increase from NextEra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. NextEra Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO James Michael May sold 2,383 shares of NextEra Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.09, for a total transaction of $162,258.47. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 27,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,867,504.43. The trade was a 7.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on NextEra Energy from $81.00 to $77.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Scotiabank increased their target price on NextEra Energy from $92.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on NextEra Energy from $93.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on NextEra Energy from $99.00 to $90.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their target price on NextEra Energy from $84.00 to $79.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $85.85.

NextEra Energy Company Profile

NextEra Energy, Inc, through its subsidiaries, generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power to retail and wholesale customers in North America. The company generates electricity through wind, solar, nuclear,natural gas, and other clean energy. It also develops, constructs, and operates long-term contracted assets that consists of clean energy solutions, such as renewable generation facilities, battery storage projects, and electric transmission facilities; sells energy commodities; and owns, develops, constructs, manages and operates electric generation facilities in wholesale energy markets.