Brokerages Set NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) Target Price at $82.07

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $83.07.

NEE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on NextEra Energy from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of NextEra Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $87.00 target price for the company. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $73.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on NextEra Energy from $91.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd.

NextEra Energy Stock Performance

NEE opened at $85.43 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.49 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $80.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $73.83. NextEra Energy has a 1 year low of $47.15 and a 1 year high of $85.75. The company has a market capitalization of $175.52 billion, a PE ratio of 23.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.56.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The utilities provider reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $6.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.29 billion. NextEra Energy had a net margin of 24.45% and a return on equity of 11.75%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.88 EPS. Research analysts expect that NextEra Energy will post 3.4 EPS for the current year.

NextEra Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.41%. NextEra Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.13%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Nicole J. Daggs sold 658 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.97, for a total value of $50,646.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 100 shares in the company, valued at $7,697. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NextEra Energy

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 197.4% in the 2nd quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. lifted its stake in NextEra Energy by 64.0% in the second quarter. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. now owns 369 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. bought a new position in shares of NextEra Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. American Capital Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 74.5% during the 1st quarter. American Capital Advisory LLC now owns 480 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the period. Finally, Family Firm Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Institutional investors own 78.72% of the company’s stock.

NextEra Energy Company Profile

NextEra Energy, Inc, through its subsidiaries, generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power to retail and wholesale customers in North America. The company generates electricity through wind, solar, nuclear,natural gas, and other clean energy. It also develops, constructs, and operates long-term contracted assets that consists of clean energy solutions, such as renewable generation facilities, battery storage projects, and electric transmission facilities; sells energy commodities; and owns, develops, constructs, manages and operates electric generation facilities in wholesale energy markets.