Argent Capital Management LLC Has $44.40 Million Stock Position in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Argent Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 627,033 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 8,120 shares during the quarter. NextEra Energy comprises approximately 1.3% of Argent Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Argent Capital Management LLC’s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $44,400,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. BCK Partners Inc. grew its stake in NextEra Energy by 3.8% in the second quarter. BCK Partners Inc. now owns 3,687 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Renasant Bank boosted its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Renasant Bank now owns 14,614 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $934,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 1.8% in the first quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,029 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $513,000 after buying an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. increased its holdings in NextEra Energy by 64.0% during the second quarter. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. now owns 369 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its position in NextEra Energy by 1.0% during the second quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 15,194 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,076,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. 78.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

NextEra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NEE traded up $0.74 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $79.66. 5,052,935 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,233,079. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $47.15 and a 52 week high of $80.56. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $74.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.66. The firm has a market cap of $163.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.54.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The utilities provider reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $6.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.29 billion. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 11.75% and a net margin of 24.45%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.88 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.39 EPS for the current year.

NextEra Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.59%. NextEra Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 56.13%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Nicole J. Daggs sold 658 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.97, for a total value of $50,646.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,697. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $74.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. Mizuho downgraded NextEra Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $71.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. Barclays raised their price objective on NextEra Energy from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on NextEra Energy from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 15th. Finally, StockNews.com raised NextEra Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.00.

About NextEra Energy

NextEra Energy, Inc, through its subsidiaries, generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power to retail and wholesale customers in North America. The company generates electricity through wind, solar, nuclear,natural gas, and other clean energy. It also develops, constructs, and operates long-term contracted assets that consists of clean energy solutions, such as renewable generation facilities, battery storage projects, and electric transmission facilities; sells energy commodities; and owns, develops, constructs, manages and operates electric generation facilities in wholesale energy markets.