Strs Ohio Has $3.17 Million Position in NRG Energy, Inc. $NRG

Strs Ohio grew its position in shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) by 312.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,549 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,812 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio’s holdings in NRG Energy were worth $3,166,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NRG. Aviva PLC increased its holdings in NRG Energy by 9.7% in the second quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 155,392 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $24,953,000 after purchasing an additional 13,757 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of NRG Energy by 68.2% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 251,366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $40,364,000 after buying an additional 101,922 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the second quarter valued at about $418,000. Trek Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the second quarter worth about $3,368,000. Finally, Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of NRG Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $25,268,000. Institutional investors own 97.72% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at NRG Energy

In related news, VP Brian Curci sold 60,580 shares of NRG Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total value of $9,796,391.80. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 93,089 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,053,422.19. This trade represents a 39.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Virginia Kinney sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.82, for a total transaction of $3,276,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 43,191 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,075,549.62. The trade was a 31.65% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 192,556 shares of company stock valued at $30,826,846 in the last 90 days. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

NRG Energy Trading Up 0.5%

NRG opened at $149.97 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $159.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $159.84. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $79.57 and a 1-year high of $180.54. The company has a market cap of $28.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.42 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.45.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.78 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.85. NRG Energy had a return on equity of 103.57% and a net margin of 4.84%.The company had revenue of $7.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.53 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.90 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NRG Energy announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 6th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the utilities provider to purchase up to 9.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

NRG Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 1.3%. NRG Energy’s payout ratio is currently 26.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NRG has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $198.00 price objective on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underperform” rating on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Thursday, November 20th. UBS Group assumed coverage on NRG Energy in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $211.00 price target for the company. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded NRG Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NRG Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $186.45.

NRG Energy 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.