NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Stock Has Average Price Target of $198.21

Shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $198.21.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on NRG shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on NRG Energy from $203.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Siebert Williams Shank assumed coverage on NRG Energy in a research note on Monday, July 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $184.00 price target for the company. Barclays increased their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $200.00 to $204.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of NRG Energy from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $221.00 price objective on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Wednesday, August 19th.

NRG Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NRG Energy stock opened at $97.19 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $117.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $134.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.17, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.71 and a beta of 1.18. NRG Energy has a 52 week low of $96.86 and a 52 week high of $189.96.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.20). The company had revenue of $7.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.31 billion. NRG Energy had a return on equity of 52.95% and a net margin of 2.56%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.73 earnings per share. NRG Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-9.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that NRG Energy will post 8.61 EPS for the current year.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 3rd were issued a $0.4750 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. NRG Energy’s payout ratio is 50.26%.

Insider Activity at NRG Energy

In related news, CAO Gerald Alfred Spencer sold 1,580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.93, for a total value of $191,069.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 6,213 shares in the company, valued at $751,338.09. This represents a 20.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in NRG Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. EMC Capital Management acquired a new stake in NRG Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in NRG Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in NRG Energy by 50.0% in the first quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC now owns 219 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 97.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About NRG Energy

NRG Energy, Inc is a North American energy and home services company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company operates through power generation and energy retail businesses, supplying electricity and related services to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

NRG owns and operates a diverse portfolio of power-generation assets, including natural gas, coal, nuclear and renewable facilities. It also sells electricity and natural gas through brands such as Reliant, Direct Energy and Green Mountain Energy, with retail operations serving customers in competitive energy markets across the United States and Canada.

In addition to its energy operations, NRG provides smart-home, security and related connected-home services through its Vivint business.