Axecap Investments LLC Takes $2.35 Million Position in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG)

Axecap Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 26,038 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,349,000. NRG Energy comprises approximately 1.8% of Axecap Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of NRG. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt bought a new position in shares of NRG Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of NRG Energy by 100.4% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. 97.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NRG has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on NRG Energy from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on NRG Energy from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded NRG Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $93.00 to $113.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Citigroup increased their target price on NRG Energy from $84.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded NRG Energy from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $74.00 to $126.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $111.43.

NRG Energy Trading Up 2.2 %

NYSE NRG opened at $105.24 on Tuesday. NRG Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.26 and a fifty-two week high of $115.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $98.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $90.66. The stock has a market cap of $21.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.15.

NRG Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.67%. This is a boost from NRG Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.22%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 value of $5,484,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 64,448 shares in the company, valued at $5,891,191.68. This trade represents a 48.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Bruce Chung sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of 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. Company insiders own 0.86% 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.