NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $186.4545.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $202.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Zacks Research cut NRG Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on NRG Energy from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. UBS Group began coverage on NRG Energy in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $211.00 price target for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Monday, December 29th.

NRG Energy Stock Performance

NYSE NRG opened at $149.37 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $159.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $159.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.45, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.99. NRG Energy has a 1 year low of $79.57 and a 1 year high of $180.54. The company has a market capitalization of $28.63 billion, a PE ratio of 22.33 and a beta of 1.25.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.78 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.85. NRG Energy had a net margin of 4.84% and a return on equity of 103.57%. The firm had revenue of $7.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.90 EPS. NRG Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that NRG Energy will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current year.

NRG Energy announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 6th that permits the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the utilities provider to buy up to 9.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Brian Curci sold 60,580 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total transaction of $9,796,391.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 93,089 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,053,422.19. This represents a 39.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Robert J. Gaudette sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.76, for a total value of $7,144,200.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 63,920 shares in the company, valued at $10,147,939.20. The trade was a 41.31% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 192,556 shares of company stock valued at $30,826,846. 0.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NRG Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp purchased a new position in NRG Energy in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 90.4% during the 3rd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 179 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.72% of the company’s stock.

About NRG Energy

NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG) is a U.S.-based integrated power company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company develops, owns and operates a diversified portfolio of power generation assets and participates in wholesale and retail energy markets. NRG supplies electricity to utilities, commercial and industrial customers, and retail consumers, while also providing energy-related products and services designed to manage consumption and support reliability.

NRG’s generation mix includes conventional thermal plants as well as renewable and distributed energy resources.