NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) Rating Increased to Buy at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has $113.00 price objective on the utilities provider’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $93.00.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on NRG Energy from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com cut shares of NRG Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 2nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $77.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $84.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $102.71.

NRG Energy Trading Up 2.8 %

NYSE NRG opened at $101.61 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $91.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $83.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.10. NRG Energy has a 12 month low of $46.74 and a 12 month high of $103.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.70, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.10.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st were given a $0.4075 dividend. This represents a $1.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.95%.

Insider Transactions at NRG Energy

In related news, insider Rasesh M. Patel sold 102,603 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.35, for a total transaction of $8,244,151.05. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 163,680 shares in the company, valued at $13,151,688. The trade was a 38.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NRG Energy

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NRG. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of NRG Energy by 24.1% in the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 22,761 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,541,000 after buying an additional 4,421 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 35.6% during the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 29,321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,985,000 after purchasing an additional 7,705 shares during the last quarter. National Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of NRG Energy by 15.9% during the first quarter. National Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 7,705 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $522,000 after purchasing an additional 1,058 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $349,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in shares of NRG Energy by 104.5% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 73,865 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,000,000 after purchasing an additional 37,750 shares during the period. 97.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About NRG Energy

NRG Energy, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy and home services company in the United States and Canada. It operates through Texas; East; West/Services/Other; Vivint Smart Home; and Corporate Activities segments. The company produces and sells electricity generated using coal, oil, solar, and battery storage; natural gas; and a cloud-based home platform, including hardware, software, sales, installation, customer service, technical support, and professional monitoring solutions.