Applied Finance Capital Management LLC Takes Position in NRG Energy, Inc. $NRG

Applied Finance Capital Management LLC bought a new position in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 6,785 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,080,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Convergence Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 18.3% in the fourth quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC now owns 19,457 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,098,000 after acquiring an additional 3,011 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 1,799.5% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 134,520 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $21,421,000 after buying an additional 127,438 shares in the last quarter. Donoghue Forlines LLC raised its stake in NRG Energy by 143.4% during the fourth quarter. Donoghue Forlines LLC now owns 22,473 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,579,000 after purchasing an additional 13,241 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its stake in NRG Energy by 32.9% during the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 163,626 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,056,000 after purchasing an additional 40,526 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of NRG Energy by 326.7% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,928 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $785,000 after acquiring an additional 3,773 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.72% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on NRG shares. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $203.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $198.00 to $181.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Evercore began coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $202.00 to $206.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $232.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $199.46.

NRG Energy Price Performance

Shares of NRG stock opened at $127.73 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. NRG Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $127.64 and a twelve month high of $189.96. The company has a market cap of $26.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 150.27 and a beta of 1.32. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $152.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $159.07.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.78 by ($0.30). NRG Energy had a net margin of 0.74% and a return on equity of 70.67%. The business had revenue of $10.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.68 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.5% on a year-over-year basis. NRG Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-9.900 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 8.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were paid a dividend of $0.475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. NRG Energy’s payout ratio is 223.53%.

Insider Activity at NRG Energy

In related news, VP Virginia Kinney sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.65, for a total transaction of $783,250.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 55,495 shares in the company, valued at $8,693,291.75. The trade was a 8.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

NRG Energy Profile

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.