NRG Energy Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:NRG)

NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Traders bought 30,502 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 732% compared to the typical volume of 3,664 call options.

NRG Energy Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NRG Energy stock traded up $2.41 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $144.62. The company had a trading volume of 852,843 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,622,277. NRG Energy has a 52-week low of $120.11 and a 52-week high of $189.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 170.36 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a 50 day moving average of $140.83 and a 200 day moving average of $152.03.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.30). NRG Energy had a net margin of 0.74% and a return on equity of 70.67%. The company had revenue of $10.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.68 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 19.5% compared to the same quarter last year. NRG Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-9.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that NRG Energy will post 8.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NRG Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were paid a $0.475 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. NRG Energy’s payout ratio is presently 223.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial set a $210.00 price objective on NRG Energy in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Wolfe Research raised NRG Energy from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Weiss Ratings cut NRG Energy from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $165.00 price target on NRG Energy in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on NRG Energy in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $232.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, NRG Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $199.92.

Insider Buying and Selling at NRG Energy

In other news, VP Virginia Kinney sold 20,000 shares of NRG Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.52, for a total transaction of $2,550,400.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 45,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,752,554.72. The trade was a 30.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of NRG Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 178.1% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,676,513 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,222,409,000 after buying an additional 4,916,653 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors bought a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $305,817,000. Boston Partners raised its holdings in NRG Energy by 124.1% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,808,814 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $287,469,000 after acquiring an additional 1,001,672 shares during the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC lifted its position in NRG Energy by 492.5% in the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 883,781 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $141,918,000 after acquiring an additional 734,624 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Consolidated Press International Holdings Ltd. bought a new position in NRG Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $98,360,000. 97.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.