Machina Capital S.A.S. Acquires 6,426 Shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG)

Machina Capital S.A.S. lifted its holdings in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) by 44.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,978 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,426 shares during the quarter. NRG Energy accounts for approximately 0.8% of Machina Capital S.A.S.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Machina Capital S.A.S.’s holdings in NRG Energy were worth $1,893,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in NRG Energy during the third quarter worth $26,000. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 74.7% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of NRG Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of NRG Energy in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 100.4% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. 97.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

NRG Energy Stock Down 3.4 %

NRG stock opened at $88.02 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $59.50 and a 12 month high of $117.26. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $102.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $94.05.

NRG Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.00%. This is a boost from NRG Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 35.92%.

Insider Transactions at NRG Energy

In related news, VP Robert J. Gaudette sold 60,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.41, for a total value of $5,484,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 64,448 shares in the company, valued at $5,891,191.68. This trade represents a 48.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Bruce Chung sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.63, for a total transaction of $1,952,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 69,454 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,780,794.02. This trade represents a 22.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on NRG. StockNews.com downgraded shares of NRG Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $134.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of NRG Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $93.00 to $113.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $86.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.29.

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.