Alley Investment Management Company LLC Grows Stock Holdings in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Alley Investment Management Company LLC grew its stake in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 195,739 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,182 shares during the period. NextEra Energy accounts for 1.8% of Alley Investment Management Company LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Alley Investment Management Company LLC’s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $14,033,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Burkett Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in NextEra Energy by 1,229.6% during the 4th quarter. Burkett Financial Services LLC now owns 359 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in NextEra Energy in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Luken Investment Analytics LLC bought a new position in NextEra Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in NextEra Energy by 2,482.6% during the 3rd quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 594 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 571 shares in the last quarter. 78.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NextEra Energy Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of NextEra Energy stock opened at $71.64 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $70.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $76.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.26, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.58. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $53.95 and a 12-month high of $86.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The utilities provider reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 28.06%. Analysts predict that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current year.

NextEra Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.5665 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This is a positive change from NextEra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.16%. NextEra Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $82.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on NextEra Energy from $99.00 to $90.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on NextEra Energy from $93.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on NextEra Energy from $84.00 to $79.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $92.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $85.85.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO James Michael May sold 2,383 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.09, for a total value of $162,258.47. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 27,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,867,504.43. This represents a 7.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.