NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the seven research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $98.29.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut NRG Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, September 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $77.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Friday, September 13th. They set a "hold" rating and a $82.00 price target on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped 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.

NRG Energy Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:NRG traded down $0.48 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $94.38. The stock had a trading volume of 455,503 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,256,667. NRG Energy has a 1 year low of $44.90 and a 1 year high of $102.84. The firm's 50 day moving average is $89.14 and its 200-day moving average is $82.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.17.

NRG Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st were paid a $0.4075 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $1.63 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.73%. NRG Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.95%.

Insider Transactions at NRG Energy

In other news, insider Rasesh M. Patel sold 102,603 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were 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 $13,151,688. The trade was a 38.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.86% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NRG Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in shares of NRG Energy by 74.7% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt purchased a new position in shares of NRG Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. 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.