Electron Capital Partners LLC Purchases Shares of 188,016 NRG Energy, Inc. $NRG

Electron Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 188,016 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $30,192,000. NRG Energy accounts for about 1.6% of Electron Capital Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Electron Capital Partners LLC owned approximately 0.10% of NRG Energy at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in NRG Energy by 41.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,187 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $468,000 after acquiring an additional 1,528 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 111.4% in the first quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 11,062 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,056,000 after purchasing an additional 5,829 shares during the period. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 3.5% in the first quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 65,006 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,203,000 after purchasing an additional 2,187 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 664.8% during the first quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 96,425 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,205,000 after purchasing an additional 83,817 shares during the period. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC boosted its position in NRG Energy by 3.0% in the first quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 2,908 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $276,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. 97.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NRG Energy Stock Down 5.4%

NRG stock opened at $161.51 on Friday. NRG Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $79.57 and a one year high of $180.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.45, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.05. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $167.23 and its 200 day moving average is $159.77. The firm has a market cap of $30.95 billion, a PE ratio of 24.14 and a beta of 1.26.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.85. NRG Energy had a net margin of 4.84% and a return on equity of 103.57%. The business had revenue of $7.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.90 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 EPS for the current year.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 3rd were issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 3rd. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.31%.

NRG Energy announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 6th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the utilities provider to buy up to 9.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Melius began coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $308.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $198.00 price objective on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underperform” rating on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $308.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research lowered NRG Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $199.21.

Insider Activity at NRG Energy

In other news, VP Virginia Kinney sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.82, for a total transaction of $3,276,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 43,191 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,075,549.62. This represents a 31.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.86% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.