NextEra Energy, Inc. $NEE Shares Acquired by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) by 29.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 50,803 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,662 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $3,848,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy during the second quarter worth about $1,465,987,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 5.8% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 16,302,084 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,430,834,000 after buying an additional 895,824 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 46.5% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 13,329,077 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,169,839,000 after buying an additional 4,231,814 shares during the period. GQG Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of NextEra Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $651,293,000. Finally, Swiss National Bank lifted its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 7.1% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 6,043,500 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $561,320,000 after buying an additional 400,300 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.72% of the company’s stock.

NextEra Energy Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NEE stock traded down $0.12 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $85.17. 11,746,017 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,410,945. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $80.81 and a 200 day moving average of $87.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $74.41 and a 1 year high of $98.75. The firm has a market cap of $178.62 billion, a PE ratio of 15.35, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.60.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The utilities provider reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.04. NextEra Energy had a net margin of 40.37% and a return on equity of 12.27%. The firm had revenue of $8.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.13 earnings per share. NextEra Energy’s revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current year.

NextEra Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.6232 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 27th. This represents a $2.49 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. NextEra Energy’s payout ratio is currently 44.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on NEE. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $95.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Scotiabank cut their price target on NextEra Energy from $110.00 to $99.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. BMO Capital Markets set a $88.00 price target on NextEra Energy and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. HSBC set a $103.00 price objective on NextEra Energy in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of NextEra Energy in a research report on Monday, July 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, NextEra Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $97.80.

NextEra Energy Company Profile

NextEra Energy, Inc. is an energy company whose businesses include Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), a regulated electric utility, and NextEra Energy Resources, a developer and operator of energy infrastructure. FPL generates, transmits and distributes electricity to customers across Florida. NextEra Energy Resources develops and operates projects in North America, including wind and solar generation, battery storage, and natural gas and nuclear facilities. The company also invests in transmission infrastructure and provides energy-related services.