NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) Earns Outperform Rating from Analysts at BNP Paribas Exane

Investment analysts at BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) in a research report issued on Wednesday. The firm set an “outperform” rating and a $232.00 price target on the utilities provider’s stock. BNP Paribas Exane’s price objective points to a potential upside of 49.93% from the company’s current price.

NRG has been the subject of several other reports. Wolfe Research raised shares of NRG Energy from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $190.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Zacks Research raised NRG Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on NRG Energy from $198.00 to $181.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on NRG Energy in a report on Friday, March 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $197.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore initiated coverage on NRG Energy in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $198.43.

NRG Energy Trading Up 1.5%

NRG stock opened at $154.74 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $33.15 billion, a PE ratio of 39.27 and a beta of 1.26. NRG Energy has a one year low of $79.57 and a one year high of $189.96. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $158.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $161.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.92, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.64.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by ($0.15). NRG Energy had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 109.48%. The business had revenue of $7.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.56 EPS. NRG Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that NRG Energy will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Bruce Chung sold 12,383 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.56, for a total transaction of $1,938,682.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 79,147 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,391,254.32. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Robert J. Gaudette sold 45,000 shares of the firm’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 directly owned 63,920 shares in the company, valued at $10,147,939.20. The trade was a 41.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 177,556 shares of company stock valued at $28,333,696. Company insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NRG Energy

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new position in NRG Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in NRG Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in NRG Energy in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its holdings in NRG Energy by 90.4% in the 3rd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 179 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. 97.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About NRG Energy

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.