NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) Upgraded at Evercore ISI

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) was upgraded by investment analysts at Evercore ISI from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $126.00 price objective on the utilities provider’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $74.00. Evercore ISI’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 20.57% from the stock’s current price.

NRG has been the topic of several other reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on NRG Energy from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $77.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $84.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded NRG Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $93.00 to $113.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $111.43.

NRG Energy Price Performance

NYSE:NRG opened at $104.50 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $96.01 and its 200 day moving average is $87.68. NRG Energy has a 12 month low of $50.43 and a 12 month high of $106.65. The company has a market capitalization of $21.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Robert J. Gaudette sold 60,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.41, for a total transaction of $5,484,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 64,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,891,191.68. This trade represents a 48.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Bruce Chung sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.63, for a total value of $1,952,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 69,454 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,780,794.02. The trade was a 22.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Covestor Ltd raised its position in NRG Energy by 74.7% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 100.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.72% of the company’s stock.

NRG Energy Company Profile

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.