NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) Shares Sold by Smithfield Trust Co

Smithfield Trust Co lowered its position in shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 39,800 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 262 shares during the quarter. Smithfield Trust Co’s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $2,858,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NEE. Burkett Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 1,229.6% during the fourth quarter. Burkett Financial Services LLC now owns 359 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in NextEra Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in NextEra Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Luken Investment Analytics LLC purchased a new stake in NextEra Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of NextEra Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. 78.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on NEE. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $93.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $92.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $81.00 to $77.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on NextEra Energy from $84.00 to $79.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on NextEra Energy from $82.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $85.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO James Michael May sold 2,383 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.09, for a total transaction of $162,258.47. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 27,427 shares in the company, valued at $1,867,504.43. This trade represents a 7.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

NextEra Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NEE opened at $70.85 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.47 and a quick ratio of 0.38. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.95 and a 1-year high of $86.10. The company has a market capitalization of $145.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.02, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a 50-day moving average of $70.38 and a 200-day moving average of $76.20.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 24th. The utilities provider reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.53. NextEra Energy had a net margin of 28.06% and a return on equity of 11.85%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NextEra Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.5665 per share. This is an increase from NextEra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $2.27 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. NextEra Energy’s payout ratio is 67.06%.

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.