BNP Paribas Exane Initiates Coverage on NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG)

Research analysts at BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) in a research note issued on Wednesday. The brokerage set an “outperform” rating and a $232.00 price target on the utilities provider’s stock. BNP Paribas Exane’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 49.93% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on NRG. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of NRG Energy in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of NRG Energy from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of NRG Energy from $202.00 to $206.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $198.00 to $181.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $153.00 price objective on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NRG Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $198.43.

NRG Energy Stock Up 1.5%

NRG stock opened at $154.74 on Wednesday. NRG Energy has a fifty-two week low of $79.57 and a fifty-two week high of $189.96. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $158.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $161.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.92, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.64. The company has a market capitalization of $33.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.27 and a beta of 1.26.

NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The utilities provider reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by ($0.15). NRG Energy had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 109.48%. The firm had revenue of $7.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.56 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that NRG Energy will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Bruce Chung sold 12,383 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.56, for a total value of $1,938,682.48. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 79,147 shares in the company, valued at $12,391,254.32. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Virginia Kinney sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.65, for a total transaction of $783,250.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 55,495 shares in the company, valued at $8,693,291.75. This trade represents a 8.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 177,556 shares of company stock worth $28,333,696. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NRG Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its holdings in NRG Energy by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 139,626 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $22,234,000 after acquiring an additional 4,988 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 4,142 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $660,000 after purchasing an additional 351 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 62,276 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,917,000 after purchasing an additional 5,504 shares in the last quarter. EMC Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Storen Legacy Partners LLC bought a new stake in NRG Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $588,000. Institutional investors own 97.72% of the company’s stock.

About NRG Energy

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.