NRG Energy Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:NRG)

NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) saw some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors acquired 10,172 call options on the company. This is an increase of 183% compared to the typical daily volume of 3,593 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore started coverage on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of NRG Energy from $203.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Raymond James Financial set a $210.00 price target on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings downgraded NRG Energy from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on NRG Energy in a research note on Friday, March 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $197.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $199.69.

NRG Energy Trading Down 6.8%

NRG Energy stock traded down $8.82 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $121.14. 1,470,006 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,607,332. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.78. NRG Energy has a 52-week low of $120.50 and a 52-week high of $189.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 142.87 and a beta of 1.24. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $145.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $154.63.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.30). NRG Energy had a net margin of 0.74% and a return on equity of 70.67%. The company had revenue of $10.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.43 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.68 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.5% on a year-over-year basis. NRG Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-9.900 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that NRG Energy will post 8.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NRG Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were given a $0.475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 223.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling at NRG Energy

In related news, VP Virginia Kinney sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.65, for a total value of $783,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 55,495 shares in the company, valued at $8,693,291.75. The trade was a 8.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NRG Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NRG. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in NRG Energy in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NRG Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. EMC Capital Management bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in NRG Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. 97.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NRG Energy Company Profile

NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG) is a U.S.-based integrated power company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company develops, owns and operates a diversified portfolio of power generation assets and participates in wholesale and retail energy markets. NRG supplies electricity to utilities, commercial and industrial customers, and retail consumers, while also providing energy-related products and services designed to manage consumption and support reliability.

NRG’s generation mix includes conventional thermal plants as well as renewable and distributed energy resources.