NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Short Interest Update

NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) was the target of a large decline in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 6,300,000 shares, a decline of 29.3% from the January 15th total of 8,910,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,830,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days. Currently, 3.2% of the company’s shares are sold short.

NRG Energy Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NRG traded up $1.39 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $107.64. The company had a trading volume of 1,661,040 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,078,556. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57. NRG Energy has a 52 week low of $51.42 and a 52 week high of $115.38. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $99.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $91.54. The stock has a market cap of $21.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.05, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.15.

NRG Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.64%. This is a boost from NRG Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Transactions at NRG Energy

In other NRG Energy news, CFO Bruce Chung sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.63, for a total transaction of $1,952,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 69,454 shares in the company, valued at $6,780,794.02. The trade was a 22.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Robert J. Gaudette sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 64,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,891,191.68. The trade was a 48.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AdvisorShares Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $469,000. Lido Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 49.6% during the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 8,186 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $739,000 after purchasing an additional 2,715 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of NRG Energy by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,282,672 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $205,943,000 after buying an additional 316,445 shares during the period. Decade Renewable Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,218,000. Finally, Lonestar Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in NRG Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $2,977,000. Institutional investors own 97.72% 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.