Advisors Capital Management LLC Grows Holdings in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Advisors Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) by 7.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 342,294 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,527 shares during the period. Advisors Capital Management LLC’s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $24,539,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Burkett Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 1,229.6% in the fourth quarter. Burkett Financial Services LLC now owns 359 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in NextEra Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in NextEra Energy during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Luken Investment Analytics LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. 78.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NextEra Energy Stock Performance

NEE stock opened at $65.72 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $69.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.84. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $61.31 and a 12-month high of $86.10. The firm has a market cap of $135.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

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

NextEra Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.5665 per share. This is an increase from NextEra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.45%. NextEra Energy’s payout ratio is 67.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on NEE. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on NextEra Energy from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $84.00 to $79.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $89.00 target price on shares of NextEra Energy in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on NextEra Energy from $82.00 to $84.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $85.92.

Insider Transactions at NextEra Energy

In other NextEra Energy news, CAO James Michael May sold 2,383 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 27,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,867,504.43. The trade was a 7.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.