Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Buys 35,870 Shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 455,679 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 35,870 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $38,518,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. lifted its stake in NextEra Energy by 64.0% in the 2nd quarter. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. now owns 369 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 197.4% in the second quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 339 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy in the third quarter worth $27,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. bought a new stake in NextEra Energy during the second quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in NextEra Energy during the third quarter worth about $39,000. 78.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Nicole J. Daggs sold 4,007 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.57, for a total value of $302,808.99. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,193,401.44. This trade represents a 20.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

NextEra Energy Price Performance

Shares of NextEra Energy stock opened at $76.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 0.41 and a quick ratio of 0.33. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $53.95 and a one year high of $86.10. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $80.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $77.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $156.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.57.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The utilities provider reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $7.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.11 billion. NextEra Energy had a net margin of 26.49% and a return on equity of 11.94%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.94 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.41 EPS for the current year.

NextEra Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.71%. NextEra Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NEE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on NextEra Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “hold” rating and a $87.00 price target for the company. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of NextEra Energy from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Guggenheim increased their target price on NextEra Energy from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on NextEra Energy from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.85.

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.