NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Shares Sold by Augustine Asset Management Inc.

Augustine Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,854 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 307 shares during the quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in NRG Energy were worth $348,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NRG. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NRG Energy during the third quarter worth $26,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in NRG Energy by 74.7% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in NRG Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt purchased a new stake in NRG Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 100.4% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. 97.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NRG Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:NRG opened at $104.79 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $98.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $90.88. 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 twelve month low of $51.26 and a twelve month high of $115.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.33, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.15.

NRG Energy Increases Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. This is a boost from NRG Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. NRG Energy’s payout ratio is currently 44.22%.

Insider Transactions at NRG Energy

In related news, CFO Bruce Chung sold 20,000 shares of NRG Energy stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 69,454 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,780,794.02. The trade was a 22.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Robert J. Gaudette sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.41, for a total transaction of $5,484,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 64,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,891,191.68. The trade was a 48.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

NRG Energy Company Profile

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.