NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) Stock Price Up 2.8% on Analyst Upgrade

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report)'s stock price was up 2.8% during trading on Monday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $80.00 to $82.00. Barclays currently has an equal weight rating on the stock. NextEra Energy traded as high as $83.81 and last traded at $83.71. Approximately 1,697,864 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 10,690,063 shares. The stock had previously closed at $81.43.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $69.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of NextEra Energy from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $91.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of NextEra Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $87.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $86.54.

Insider Transactions at NextEra Energy

In other news, EVP Nicole J. Daggs sold 658 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.97, for a total value of $50,646.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,697. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of NextEra Energy

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. increased its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 64.0% in the 2nd quarter. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. now owns 369 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 197.4% in the 2nd quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 339 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of NextEra Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of NextEra Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of NextEra Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.72% of the company's stock.

NextEra Energy Price Performance

The stock's fifty day moving average price is $82.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market cap of $170.26 billion, a PE ratio of 22.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.56.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The utilities provider reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.05. NextEra Energy had a net margin of 24.45% and a return on equity of 11.75%. The business had revenue of $7.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.94 EPS. The business's revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NextEra Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.49%. NextEra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.13%.

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.