NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) Stock Price Down 4.5% – Time to Sell?

NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG)’s share price traded down 4.5% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $89.20 and last traded at $89.31. 661,990 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 3,348,058 shares. The stock had previously closed at $93.56.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on NRG Energy from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on NRG Energy from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 5th. StockNews.com downgraded NRG Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on NRG Energy in a report on Friday, September 13th. They set a “hold” rating and a $82.00 price target for the company. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price target on NRG Energy from $77.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, NRG Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $83.25.

NRG Energy Stock Up 2.5 %

The company has a market cap of $18.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.78 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $83.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $79.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.51.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The utilities provider reported $3.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $1.82. NRG Energy had a net margin of 7.19% and a return on equity of 43.69%. The business had revenue of $6.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.32 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 5.51 EPS for the current year.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st will be given a $0.4075 dividend. This represents a $1.63 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. NRG Energy’s payout ratio is 17.76%.

Insider Activity at NRG Energy

In related news, insider Rasesh M. Patel sold 102,603 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.35, for a total value of $8,244,151.05. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 163,680 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,151,688. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NRG Energy

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of NRG Energy by 76.1% during the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 442 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 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.