Bailard Inc. Cuts Stock Position in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Bailard Inc. trimmed its position in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 68,347 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 806 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $4,900,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Burkett Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 1,229.6% in the 4th quarter. Burkett Financial Services LLC now owns 359 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of NextEra Energy in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of NextEra Energy in the third quarter worth $33,000. Luken Investment Analytics LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. 78.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NextEra Energy Stock Performance

NEE opened at $70.17 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $70.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $76.29. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $53.95 and a 1 year high of $86.10. The stock has a market cap of $144.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.47 and a quick ratio of 0.38.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 24th. The utilities provider reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53. NextEra Energy had a net margin of 28.06% and a return on equity of 11.85%. Equities research analysts anticipate that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current year.

NextEra Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.5665 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $2.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.23%. This is an increase from NextEra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. NextEra Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.06%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NEE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on NextEra Energy from $99.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Evercore ISI reduced 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. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on NextEra Energy from $93.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $92.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $81.00 to $77.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $85.85.

Insider Buying and Selling at NextEra Energy

In other news, CAO James Michael May sold 2,383 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.09, for a total transaction of $162,258.47. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 27,427 shares in the company, valued at $1,867,504.43. This trade represents a 7.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

NextEra Energy Profile

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.