Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Purchases 3,397 Shares of NRG Energy, Inc. $NRG

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its position in shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) by 127.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 6,054 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,397 shares during the quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.’s holdings in NRG Energy were worth $980,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of NRG. Aspect Partners LLC lifted its position in NRG Energy by 34.5% during the third quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 705 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $114,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 122.8% during the 3rd quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 295,471 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $47,852,000 after purchasing an additional 162,874 shares during the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of NRG Energy by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 22,088 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,577,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of NRG Energy by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 16,683 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,702,000 after purchasing an additional 1,044 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its position in NRG Energy by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 35,042 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,675,000 after buying an additional 1,157 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.72% of the company’s stock.

NRG Energy Trading Up 6.7%

Shares of NRG Energy stock opened at $172.60 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $37.05 billion, a PE ratio of 25.80 and a beta of 1.27. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $156.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $159.93. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $79.57 and a 1 year high of $180.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.45, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

NRG Energy declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 6th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the utilities provider to reacquire up to 9.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

NRG Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 2nd will be paid a $0.475 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 2nd. This is a positive change from NRG Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other NRG Energy news, CFO Bruce Chung sold 12,383 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.56, for a total value of $1,938,682.48. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 79,147 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,391,254.32. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Robert J. Gaudette sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.76, for a total transaction of $7,144,200.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 63,920 shares in the company, valued at $10,147,939.20. The trade was a 41.31% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 172,556 shares of company stock valued at $27,550,446 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on NRG Energy from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut shares of NRG Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $184.91.

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.