NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $85.92.

Several brokerages have commented on NEE. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $82.00 to $84.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on NextEra Energy from $92.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on NextEra Energy from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on NextEra Energy from $84.00 to $79.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th.

NextEra Energy Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:NEE traded up $0.35 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $70.08. 8,740,258 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,121,768. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a current ratio of 0.47. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $70.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $75.30. The firm has a market cap of $144.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.79, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.58. NextEra Energy has a 52-week low of $61.31 and a 52-week high of $86.10.

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NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The utilities provider reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 28.06%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that NextEra Energy will post 3.68 EPS for the current year.

NextEra Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.5665 dividend. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.23%. This is a boost from NextEra Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. NextEra Energy's payout ratio is presently 67.06%.

Insider Transactions at NextEra Energy

In other NextEra Energy news, CAO James Michael May sold 2,383 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.09, for a total transaction of $162,258.47. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 27,427 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,867,504.43. This trade represents a 7.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NextEra Energy

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NEE. Howard Capital Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 1.8% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 299,215 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $25,293,000 after acquiring an additional 5,409 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in NextEra Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $183,000. Swedbank AB grew its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 33.2% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 661,623 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $55,927,000 after buying an additional 164,737 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 55.7% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 11,389 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $963,000 after buying an additional 4,076 shares during the period. Finally, Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 89.1% during the third quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC now owns 51,965 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,393,000 after acquiring an additional 24,478 shares during the last quarter. 78.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About NextEra Energy

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.