Insider Selling: NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) VP Sells 60,000 Shares of Stock

NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) VP Robert J. Gaudette sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.41, for a total transaction of $5,484,600.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 64,448 shares in the company, valued at $5,891,191.68. This trade represents a 48.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

NRG Energy Stock Performance

NRG stock opened at $98.56 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.10. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $50.23 and a 1 year high of $103.14. The company has a market cap of $19.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.15. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $94.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $86.17.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st were paid a dividend of $0.4075 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $1.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on NRG. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Guggenheim increased their target price on NRG Energy from $77.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded NRG Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $93.00 to $113.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on NRG Energy from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on NRG Energy from $84.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $102.71.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NRG Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its position in NRG Energy by 32,962.3% during the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,052,705 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $95,901,000 after buying an additional 1,049,521 shares during the period. Fred Alger Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $53,773,000. Bridgewater Associates LP raised its holdings in NRG Energy by 352.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 804,801 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $73,317,000 after purchasing an additional 627,121 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in NRG Energy during the second quarter valued at $43,134,000. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its holdings in NRG Energy by 52.2% during the third quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 1,330,706 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $121,227,000 after purchasing an additional 456,573 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.72% of the company’s stock.

About NRG Energy

NRG Energy, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy and home services company in the United States and Canada. It operates through Texas; East; West/Services/Other; Vivint Smart Home; and Corporate Activities segments. The company produces and sells electricity generated using coal, oil, solar, and battery storage; natural gas; and a cloud-based home platform, including hardware, software, sales, installation, customer service, technical support, and professional monitoring solutions.