NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) Upgraded 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 report released on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has $113.00 price objective on the utilities provider’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $93.00.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup raised their price target on NRG Energy from $84.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. 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 research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Guggenheim increased their price target on NRG Energy from $77.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on NRG Energy from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of NRG Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 2nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NRG Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $102.71.

NRG Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NRG opened at $98.89 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $91.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $83.48. 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 1-year low of $46.23 and a 1-year high of $102.84. The company has a market cap of $20.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.10.

NRG Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were paid a $0.4075 dividend. This represents a $1.63 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. NRG Energy’s payout ratio is 40.95%.

Insider Transactions at NRG Energy

In related news, insider Rasesh M. Patel sold 102,603 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 163,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,151,688. This represents a 38.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its stake in NRG Energy by 4.5% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,630 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $240,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 38,213 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,481,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in NRG Energy by 3.5% in the third quarter. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,746 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $356,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its position in NRG Energy by 2.8% during the third quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 4,910 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $447,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 74.7% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.72% of the company’s stock.

NRG Energy Company Profile

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.