NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) Shares Purchased by Allianz Asset Management GmbH

Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its stake in NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 290,378 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 7,630 shares during the quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH owned approximately 0.14% of NRG Energy worth $26,198,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NRG. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in NRG Energy during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Covestor Ltd raised its position in shares of NRG Energy by 74.7% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in NRG Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in NRG Energy by 100.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in NRG Energy in the third quarter valued at $43,000. 97.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NRG Energy Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of NRG Energy stock opened at $103.39 on Tuesday. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $51.58 and a 52-week high of $115.38. The company has a 50 day moving average of $100.77 and a 200 day moving average of $93.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.57. The company has a market capitalization of $20.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.15.

NRG Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. This is a positive change from NRG Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. NRG Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 44.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on NRG. Jefferies Financial Group raised 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 report on Tuesday, November 26th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of NRG Energy from $84.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of 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. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on 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 lifted their price objective on NRG Energy from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NRG Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $113.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at NRG Energy

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

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.