NextEra Energy, Inc. $NEE Shares Sold by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. reduced its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) by 6.3% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,880,377 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 125,889 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $142,940,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. American State Bank Iowa lifted its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 13.6% during the third quarter. American State Bank Iowa now owns 15,027 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,138,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800 shares in the last quarter. Ethic Inc. grew its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 5.4% in the third quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 50,392 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,817,000 after purchasing an additional 2,585 shares in the last quarter. Leelyn Smith LLC raised its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. Leelyn Smith LLC now owns 5,882 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $446,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares during the period. Palisade Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in NextEra Energy by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. Palisade Asset Management LLC now owns 49,687 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,763,000 after purchasing an additional 3,882 shares in the last quarter. Finally, United Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in NextEra Energy by 34.0% during the 3rd quarter. United Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,892 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $673,000 after purchasing an additional 2,258 shares in the last quarter. 78.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key NextEra Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting NextEra Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Clean-energy stocks rallied after Democrats won control of Congress, and the article says NextEra captured the rally. Its battery development and ability to supply power to data centers may help it benefit from rising electricity demand. NextEra Energy Vs. AES Corporation: Utility Scale Energy Production Just Got a Major Blue Boost
• Positive Sentiment: A Virginia Chamber of Commerce-commissioned study says the proposed Dominion merger could bring thousands of jobs to Virginia, adding an economic-benefit argument in support of the deal. Virginia Chamber of Commerce promotes study touting Dominion merger benefits
• Neutral Sentiment: NextEra said senior management will participate in the EEI Financial Conference Nov. 8–10. The announcement does not identify new financial guidance or a specific business update. NextEra Energy to participate in EEI Financial Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Another report describes the Virginia merger review as advancing with safeguards, but the available headline does not detail the terms or indicate whether approval is assured. NextEra Energy stock gains safeguards as Virginia merger review advances
• Negative Sentiment: Faith leaders and community advocates urged Virginia regulators to reject NextEra’s proposed $67 billion acquisition of Dominion, highlighting opposition and continued regulatory risk around the transaction. Faith Leaders Urge SCC to Reject Dominion-NextEra Merger

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Mizuho reduced their target price on NextEra Energy from $95.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. HSBC set a $103.00 price objective on shares of NextEra Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of NextEra Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $108.00 target price on shares of NextEra Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $88.00 target price on shares of NextEra Energy and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, NextEra Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $97.80.

NextEra Energy Stock Down 1.5%

NEE opened at $86.92 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $182.30 billion, a PE ratio of 15.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $74.41 and a 52 week high of $98.75. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $80.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $87.27.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The utilities provider reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $8.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.47 billion. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 12.27% and a net margin of 40.37%. NextEra Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.13 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NextEra Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 27th will be paid a $0.6232 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 27th. This represents a $2.49 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. NextEra Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 44.86%.

NextEra Energy Profile

NextEra Energy, Inc is an energy company whose businesses include Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), a regulated electric utility, and NextEra Energy Resources, a developer and operator of energy infrastructure. FPL generates, transmits and distributes electricity to customers across Florida.

NextEra Energy Resources develops and operates projects in North America, including wind and solar generation, battery storage, and natural gas and nuclear facilities. The company also invests in transmission infrastructure and provides energy-related services.

The company traces its roots to 1925, when Florida Power & Light was established.