Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Free Report) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,926,185 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 38,970 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 0.95% of NRG Energy worth $173,780,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NRG. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in NRG Energy by 74.7% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in NRG Energy by 100.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. 97.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NRG Energy Trading Up 4.3 %

NYSE:NRG traded up $3.68 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $88.50. 5,160,452 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,043,001. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $102.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $94.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.24, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.13. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $59.50 and a 12-month high of $117.26.

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NRG Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. This is a boost from NRG Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.99%. NRG Energy's payout ratio is 35.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on NRG shares. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $134.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of NRG Energy from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $74.00 to $126.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on NRG Energy from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on NRG Energy from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com cut NRG Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, NRG Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $123.29.

Insider Activity at NRG Energy

In other news, CFO Bruce Chung sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.63, for a total value of $1,952,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 69,454 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,780,794.02. This represents a 22.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Robert J. Gaudette sold 60,000 shares of NRG Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.41, for a total value of $5,484,600.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 64,448 shares in the company, valued at $5,891,191.68. This represents a 48.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.86% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.