Empirical Asset Management LLC Raises Stake in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Empirical Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE - Free Report) by 274.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 75,729 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 55,505 shares during the quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC's holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $5,429,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. grew its position in NextEra Energy by 197.4% during the second quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 339 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 225 shares during the period. Burkett Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in NextEra Energy by 1,229.6% in the fourth quarter. Burkett Financial Services LLC now owns 359 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in NextEra Energy during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in NextEra Energy in the third quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the third quarter valued at $39,000. 78.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

NextEra Energy Price Performance

Shares of NextEra Energy stock traded down $0.54 during trading on Friday, hitting $70.83. The stock had a trading volume of 12,662,751 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,433,223. The company has a current ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $53.95 and a 12 month high of $86.10. The firm has a market cap of $145.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.58. The business's 50-day moving average is $73.62 and its 200 day moving average is $77.16.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The utilities provider reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.05. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 11.94% and a net margin of 26.49%. The business had revenue of $7.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.94 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Nicole J. Daggs sold 4,007 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.57, for a total value of $302,808.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,792 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,193,401.44. The trade was a 20.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Scotiabank increased their price target on NextEra Energy from $92.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Dbs Bank lowered shares of NextEra Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of NextEra Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a "hold" rating and a $87.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $87.15.

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.